To Take A Stand
by SLRisme
Summary: During a little game Purple is asked two questions that make him think about what Red and him have been doing as Tallests- And he's not pleased with the outcome. The Empire is in distress and no one else seems to notice other than him. Things need to change for the better and that starts with the short Irkens. What about the rest of the galaxy though? Bad summary.
1. To Take A Stand

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So… It's been a while sense I've tried working my hand with an Invader Zim story.

I did another Invader Zim story before this called '_**Who Will You Believe**_' and yeah- That story doesn't matter with this one. Randomly this came into my head when I was listening to a song, so yes, lyrics will be placed inside this story. This is just going to about Purple and his thoughts- So if emotion and thoughts aren't your kind of thing, get outta here. :P

Some Zim loving is in here, not romance, but something you might enjoy. Can't explain it- Oh yeah, Purple might be out of character a bit, but eh, get over it. I'll try to keep him in character but that's kinda hard for these certain types of topics.

Song: Karma

Artist: Kamelot

And let me begin.

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_**Title: To Take A Stand**_

"-And he was killed, right on the spot for his actions!"

"Haha- Can you believe that Red? Huh, huh, huh?"

"You know Pur, I think it was a good idea that we agreed to letting that sucker get executed!"

"We should have thrown him out of an airlock instead!"

All the Irkens inside the dinning chamber laughed and mocked away at the news of a short Irken that had been executed all because he had tripped on his two feet and spilt soda on a taller Irken. The glorious Tallests Red and Purple were throwing another one of their 'important meetings' or rather in other terms a party filled with all sorts of tall Irkens, of course including the Tallests at the front of the room, and much food. These parties usually consisted of gossip and stories of mockery cruelness, though it was all in fun for all the taller Irkens.

Tallest Purple and Tallest Red were sitting on what seemed to be floating metallic chairs- But in the eyes of every Irken below them they seemed to have been sitting on thrones made of gold. Purple tossed a donut piece into his mouth, cocking his head sideways when he noticed an Irken by his chair open his mouth. The Irken about to talk was Advisor Vix, a pink eyed Irken who had been close friends with the Tallests for years.

"Okay, okay- Let's get back to our game we had been doing before our squeedily spooches explode from laughter. Tallest Purple, truth or dare?"

Ah yes- They had been playing Truth or Dare before Mango, yes his name was Mango, had told all of them that hilarious story! It was a silly game that Zim had told them about, something actually useful from Earth. Other than their snacks, of course. Purple laughed once more as Red nudged him, winking at his co-partner with a smirk.

"I'm not doing dare, I just watched as you made Zina _**bow down**_ to a random short Irken like that stupid shorty deserved it-"

"Which made me vomit a little after I had done it!"

"-So I'm taking truth!"

"Okay, but you know the rules, now you have to answer two questions sense this is the second dare you've skipped!"

"Ugh, fine!"

Purple whined like a smeet instead of the Tallest that he was, throwing another chip into his mouth as everyone turned their gazes to Advisor Vix. He tapped his chin in thought until he grinned, pointing one of his three fingers at his Tallest. The purple eyed Tallest caught the gesture and gave a laugh, the other red eyed Tallest smirking at their friend, both leaning over towards their advisor to see what his question was- The entire audience following their Tallests movements.

"I got my first question! What's the nicest thing you've ever done for an Irken-"

"That's easy! It had to been the time when Red-"

"-That was _shorter_ than you by _a lot _and you had done it just to be kind, not for something to be returned to you?"

Purple looked caught off guard as he finished his question, Red passing his companion an annoyed look at his question. Lazily the red eyed Tallest waved his hand in the air, his other hand holding his head up with his elbow positioned on his armrest.

"That's a dirty question Vix, who cares about really short Irkens?"

"Come I, I just wanna see his answer is all, we all do! Besides, you can back up on Purple if he's telling the truth or not with his answer sense you two tell each other everything!"

"Huh- Yeah, okay, that sounds fair."

"So what's the answer, my Tallest?"

"Give him time to think- Jeez!"

Red snapped as the others turned their heads and gazed at Purple, though the Tallest himself was just gazing downwards into his bag of donuts. The question had, like I placed before, caught him off guard, but he was thinking about the answer. He really, really was trying hard to think of a good answer to give them but the problem was…

Well; nothing came up.

'_**I am a king of honor  
>gold and glory<br>but every king must also die  
>have I been just and righteous<br>what is glory  
>I know I've torn and taken life<br>and here I stand  
>a small and simple man<strong>_'

This was stupid! There must be something that he could think of!

He was Tallest Purple, co-partner of Tallest Red, he ruled all over Irk and his people loved him! So kay, he might be a bit obnoxious, loud, maybe ate a little too much… But that didn't mean that he didn't help out his own citizens! He had to have done something nice for an Irken that was smaller than him by a lot, an Irken like…

Invader Tenn, he had assigned her to Planet Meekrob to take over it!

No, that wouldn't work… Red knew that he had only sent her away because of another taller invader at the time was going to go. Purple perfered this taller invader instead of Tenn because, well duh, he was taller than her! So he had sent Tenn instead of the other invader, they hadn't heard from her in years. Purple didn't even know if she as alive or not…

Wait- What about the time he had given Invader Grapa the honor of taking over planet Blorch? Yeah, that would be a great-

No… Both Red and him had picked Grapa out of a crowd of Irkens and lied to his own people that Grapa had taken over planet Blorch. He didn't want his citizens to know that a short and ugly, don't forget smelly, loser like Invader Skoodge had taken over the planet. He didn't do that out of kindness, he had only done it because both him and Red didn't want anyone to know a short little Irken like that took over a planet.

What about that time when his assistant- No, he threw her out of an airlock afterwards…

"My Tallest?"

There was the time when that Frylock- No, he was thrown out of an airlock too… Jeez- How many Irkens had he killed just because he had been displeased or simply annoyed at them? Why couldn't he time of just one single time that he helped out a smaller Irken just because he could? He cared about his all his people more than this!

…Didn't he?

"Purple?"

No matter how much he sat there and thought nothing came up, until his Pak brought up a memory from deep within his self conscious. The memory almost seemed faded in his own mind, the memory repeating like an old fairy tale that had been left for the dust bunnies. This memory had been from years ago and maybe this wasn't really a good answer, it would have to work, if they didn't like it he would throw them out of an airlock!

Stupid Zim for being the only thing he could think of at the time!

'_**Who will trade his karma for my kingdom  
>a sacrificial rite to render truth<br>the fire in my soul rejects my wisdom  
>cause all you do in life comes back to you<strong>_'

"I've done so many nice things that I just can't say one, but I guess I'll only use one example sense you only wanted _one_ time. There was that time when Zim was sent on his- Hehe, 'mission'- That Red and I both made him that stupid Sir Unit of his. Well, that stupid calls itself Gir, but whatever."

"Hey, that was pretty nice of us!"

"It was nice of us, wasn't it, Red? We could have told him no sense he's so short and _stoopid_, but we gave him that stupid little robot out of the kidness of our Paks!"

The others in the room both nodded and murmured their agreements, they could see where their Tallest was coming from- Zim was short and stupid! Red gave a laugh as Vix smirked himself, thinking of another question to ask. On the outside Purple gave a smug look, throwing another donut in his mouth like he knew he was righteous.

The inside though was trembling and shaking, squeedily spooch twisting and knotting at his very own thoughts. He hadn't given Zim his stupid robot out of kindness, he only did it to get Zim off Irk and far away from him! Why had he said that memory? Why? Could he really not come up with a single time that he had helped a shorter Irken out just out of kindness? Yeah okay, they were short so they weren't important anyway, but still.

But still.

This only meant that, no, he…

…Had he only been greedy and selfish all of his years of not only being Tallest, but of his _life_?

"Okay, next question! You listening, Tallest Purple?"

"Yeah, sure, what?"

"This one is going to be a lot more difficult for you to answer-"

Great, like the last stupid question hadn't been hard to answer. Purple was already getting a headache from all this useless thinking, that's why he had Red, for Red could think, not him.

"I might be, eh… Stepping out of my limits with this question, my Tallest…"

"By the past Tallests Spork and Miyuki, just ask the question, Vix!"

Purple noticed how his friend's muscles tightened and flexed at his angered cry, slightly bowing his head, antennas falling backwards. The purple eyed Tallest winced when he noticed this and frowned deeply at the satisified expression on Red's face- Was this how a Tallest was supposed to be? Was a Tallest supposed to take joy and pleasure out of seeing a shorter Irken fear them? Vix was their friend and yet they were enjoying such… Power.

Such cruel power.

"…Just ask the question, both Red and I have known you for years, not like we're keeping secrets here. Besides, we wanna finish off these questions for someone can pick dare, right?"

His friend grinned back at his Tallest, though weakly, he still grinned back. Purple kicked himself on the inside at taking sick joy in seeing the weak look on his face- Had being Tallest for so long changed both Red and him? Had being Tallest made them both take sick and twisted joy in other's pain and had they found out a way to lock out their own conscious?

Why did he care about this all the sudden?

"Out of the entire Irken Empire, who would you want to become Tallest when you and Red- _Ahem_, you know… Who would you pick out of all the Irkens on Irk to become Tallest?"

'_**I am a king in crisis  
>counting minutes<br>there is an ending to my reign  
>my sins have come to face me<br>I can feel it  
>that I have lived my life in vain<br>and now I know I'll reap  
>the seeds I've sown<strong>_'

"…Let me think about that."

Purple spoke up before Red could snap at Vix for such a stupid question, how dare he imply such a question on a Tallest! The red eyed Tallest passed the purple eye Tallest a look of annoyance, though the look was gone in a wink of eye as he finally noticed his best friend- Actually _looked_ at him. Tallest Purple was hunched over in his chair, shoulders slumped with a thoughtful expression on his green features. He seemed… Upset, like something was bothering him.

Where was his happy and go-lucky co-partner that he was used to seeing?

Red sent a cold glare at Vix who bowed his head once more though shrugged his shoulders, also noticing how Purple was acting. The Tallest put his attention back on his upsettling friend, the room's air thick with both sadness and… And what was that other freaky feeling? Red couldn't think of it, but it was a weird emotion, maybe it was just weird seeing Purple think so hard- Who knew?

"Who would I want to take over as Tallest when we're gone… Uhh… He's gotta be smart, you know, have to have a smart Tallest. Doesn't need to be some nerd, just, you know… Knows what he's doing, knows how to take power…"

Yeah, Red agreed with Purple on that, the next Tallest needed to be smart and know how to take charge.

"Master in combat, both physically and when using machines- Wouldn't want the Tallest dying any time because he couldn't defend himself, right?"

Oh yeah, that was totally correct- Wouldn't want the Tallest dying on his first week of the job because he couldn't knock a laser blaster out of someone's hands.

"-And he can't be like Spork! No way! That guy only had like no emotions, was only serious and never had any fun, you know? The new Tallest needs to know how to be serious but then also fun, and he needs to know what he wants! He has to know what he wants and chase after it with all he's got!"

Determination was something that was needed in a Tallest, eh- Emotion wasn't really that much wanted in Red's point-of-view, but he understood where Purple was coming from. Don't want the next Tallest to be boring now, do you? He sure didn't.

"Most of all, he needs to be loyal to Irk a hundred and twnety percent, he needs to do _anything_ for Irk if his planet or people get in danger. I want him to have been a loyal citizen before he becomes Tallest, I want him to be the kind of Irken that would get in a Voot Cruiser and fight a whole army of Glekashores even if he doesn't have arms just for his current Tallests. That kind of loyalty shows that he would do anything for his planet."

Red let out a sigh of relief at the happy grin on Purple's face as he told everyone what he was seeking in a Tallest, this was just- Oh, what just happened? One second Purple was grinning then the next second the grin was gone, replaced by a thin line made by his mouth. It was only known to Red that his eyes were filled with horror, like he realized something that he hadn't want to.

Was it only him that realized Purple's fingers were flexing and unflexing?

"AND he has to be tall, of course, really tall, like so tall that it hurts my neck to look up at him tall."

'_**Who will trade his karma for my kingdom  
>a sacrificial rite to render truth<br>the fire in my soul rejects my wisdom  
>cause all you do in life comes back to you<strong>_'

Purple almost felt like his entire world shattered when he realized something he **never ever** wanted too.

"AND he has to be tall, of course, really tall, like so tall that it hurts my neck to look up at him tall."

He quickly added, not noticing the worried expression on Red's face or the taller Irkens in the room all agreeing with him. He could care less about them right now, he was having a crisis here! He… He… Oh, how his Pak felt like it had some sort of sick virus right now. He had thought that… That… His squeedily spooch was knotting from the thought he once had only a few seconds ago, muscles flexed and head beating rapidly. Had he really? No, no… Not… Not…

**Zim**.

Everything he had said about what he wanted in a Tallest made his mind think of… Oh, oh by the past Tallests he really was sick. This wasn't right, these thoughts weren't right… Zim was completely and utterly insane! He was the biggets defect Irk had ever seen, he was the kind of idiot that had quit banishment! He had quit banishment! Who did that? Not someone who should ever be Tallest, that's who!

Okay, yeah- So maybe he was great at combat, fantastic actually, and knew how to be both serious and funny. Sure, he was also really determinded, that stupid short Irken just never gave up. That didn't mean he should be Tallest though. And yeah, okay, he did everything he could for Irken, he was one of the most loyal Irkens Purple had ever laid his eyes on. He was very loyal, he could have been-

No, he was the most loyal Irken known to Irk itself.

"Pur? You okay?"

Red questioned when he saw Purple, who didn't even notice what he was doing to himself, as one of his hands gripped the front of his robes. The other hand went across his face as misery took over his features, like he suddenly realized something awful. Jeez- Pur looked like he had just killed someone!

What had Red and him done? Zim had been the most loyal Irken known to Irk and they had sent him off the planet, what an awful idea they had done. He could have been the best invader known to Irk, he would have thrown himself in any position to protect his Tallests! Deep inside Purple knew that many Irkens, both tall and short, would have never done such a thing! Why had they sent him on his stupid fake-

"My Tallest?"

They had done good as Tallests, they had tried to protect their people! Zim had ruined Impending Doom and he destroyed more than half the planet! He deserved to sent off to that stupid water planet! And those other short Irkens he hadn't helped out and didn't care about, they deserved it too, for being so short! None of this was his, uh- Their fault! They did this to protect their citizens and for Irk, all of it! He was innocent, he-

"Purple!"

Red snapped finally, purple eyes gazing into the pair of red eyes, a single thing flashing through Purple's mind. This thought would have made not only Red and every single Irken gasp, but even the planet Irk itself would shake in fear by this thought. He would never admit such a thought out loud, he still didn't want to admit to himself right now. For a single second he allowed himself to let this thought pass, not knowing how much more wiser and mature he became by the single though-

'_No. I was wrong_.'

'_**Am I mad  
>I feel so void and cold<br>who can tell  
>who holds the stories untold<br>tired and trembling  
>I am descending<br>will I have to stay here  
>and live this life again<strong>_'

"I'm fine, sorry, sugar was getting to my squeeily spooch is all."

"Well… Okay. You never answered Vix's question."

"Huh, who would I pick to be Tallest out of all the Irkens on Irk? Easy, the tallest Irken on Irk."

Purple stuck his tongue out playfully when Red passed him a smirk, the Tallest pushing himself out of his seat, hovering in mid-air. He hadn't lied- The question had been who would he pick to be Tallest out of all the Irkens on Irk, he answered with the truth. Just with the truth they wanted, how could he say that he thought Zim was fit to be…

Ugh, that knotting in his squeedily spooch was happening again!

"Okay Pur, it's your turn to-"

"Truth or dare, Riki?"

"Me? Uhh- Dare, my Tallest!"

"Great! I dare you to go and kiss the feet of a short Irken!"

"Ew, you want him to do what? Wait, Purple! Where are you going?"

"Feeling sick, I need to leave, be back later!"

He quickly said and before he could hear Red's objection he swiftly hovered out of the room, metallic sliding door closing behind his back. Silently he hovered down the hallways towards his chamber, ignoring the salutes and bows he was receiving from every Irken he passed, too deep in thought. Why is that all of the sudden he was realizing how…

Wrong Red and him had been after all these years, why did he just realize it now? And why did he feel so dang guilty for Zim? Zim of all Irkens, blah! He was feeling bad for that defect, it was Zim who ruined everything and all of Irk's plans, he was just an useless defect! He was a nothing! No matter how loyal he was he still was still a nothing!

"Stupid defect, this is his fault- Everything is his fault."

The Tallest bitterly hissed to himself, not realizing to himself that he was already in his chamber, placing a certain code within his computer. He was contacting someone right now, with his bedroom door clearly locked away and no eyes to see what he was doing. Maybe it was out of his raging emotions and uncertain thoughts that he was doing this or maybe it was guilt that was tugging at his mind, but…

'_**Who will trade his karma for my kingdom  
>a sacrificial rite to render truth'<strong>_

He knew that he had done wrong.

So Irkens were short and that made them dumb and ugly, they were still his people though, the citizens that worked under both him and Red. Throwing a lot of them out of airlocks was wrong, throwing out a short Irken out of an airlock once a week was fine, but not like four or five or twelve of them! What would the Irken Empire be built upon if it did not have short Irkens taking up the jobs taller Irkens never would?

Irk needed smaller Irkens like Zim!

Wait- What?

"I'm thinking insane thoughts, I just need to get some snacks and- No. I need to make this call."

Purple spoke out-loud to himself, which was a bit crazy, but he needed to tell himself what to do to begin this task. He was tired of never thinking, of always eating and always agreeing, he agreed to everything Red did and said. He never took charge, he would just make a sarcastic comment or give a smug look then go back to his donuts when a situation was happening. He was tired of both Red and himself just laughing at the misery of others and the bad that was happening.

It was time to actually do something about the bad and that started with fixing the misery where it began.

But Purple couldn't do this alone, he couldn't be alone when he took a stand- He wasn't stupid, okay well, maybe a little… But he knew when something was going to go wrong! It was that feeling when he would ignore his antennas twitching when he had mocked a short Irken or the sickness rising in his squeedily spooch when he ate to ignore issues- No more. He needed to make a stand even though he knew that every tall, even slightly tall, Irken would hate him for this.

Red- His own best friend, co-partner, and even his own right antenna would probably hate him too.

Something needed to be done though, he wasn't going to die as a Tallest that was hated by most of his people, the Irkens, and who suffered from his own guilt.

No more hiding in ignorant bliss even if he would be hated for it.

'_**The fire in my soul rejects my wisdom…**_'

"Ah, my almighty Tallest, it's nice to see your face! It is I, the almighty Zim! What can Zim you with his almighty glory?"

"You say 'almighty' a lot, you know? Kinda ruins the word, makes it not as... Almighty. Nevermind that though, Zim, I need you to do something for your Tallest! I… Are you busy or something? You're holding some sort of…"

"Err- No sir, Zim is never to busy for his Tallest! Let me put this beaver down! ...Ah, yes! Now, what is it you seek from Zim, my Tallest?"

"I need your… Your… Eh- _Ineedyourhelptotakeastand_."

"Eh? What was that?"

"Can't you understand anything? I said I… I need your help to… To... Take a... Stand."

Yes, it was time to take a stand.

'_**Cause all you do in life comes back to you**_'

**The End?**

**To Be Continued?**

**Eh?**

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Whoa it's like five in the morning, I feel like this story/chapter or whatever was really crappy. Oh well; I might continue if anyone wants me too, but eh.

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a fantastic day! :D

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	2. Unknown Issue

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Hello everyone, how have you been? :)

Wow- Sixteen reviews for only the first chapter, this is great, you guys! Seriously, you have no idea how surprised I was when I saw how many reviews I was getting for this. I hope all of you guys keep reviewing for this story, it really means a lot to me! :D This story was actually just some random idea that cam eup, I actually didn't plan on continuing, but since so many people asked though…

The beginning of this story may be a little slow since I didn't fully remember where I was going along with this plot-line, but I hope you still enjoy is.

So, without further adieu, let me continue.

Listening to: _**Lemonade Mouth- Determinate**_

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_**Title: Unknown Issue**_

"What?"

"N-Never mind! By past Tallest Spork, Zim, stop calling us! You're just wasting time so you don't have to do your mission- Well; guess what? Your trick didn't work, so _**ha**_! I'm ending this transmission on you, don't try this trick again or I'll throw you out of an air lock! Goodbye, Zim!"

The purple eyes Zim knew were now one from his view and static blaring around the laboratory he was in, not making a single sound. Gir was petting the beaver on his lap, giggling here and there when the beaver would lick his robotic hand. Finally, after many moments of silence and constant blinking, the Irken finally let his mouth to fall open to cry out-

"Now what in Irk was _**THAT**_?"

…

(_**Back on Irk inside Tallest Purple's chamber**_)

…

The two fingered hand slammed onto the panel faster than any Voot Cruiser could ever move, the look of terror crossing over Purple's face. What was he doing? Contacting _Zim_? Thinking that the shorter _Irkens_ mattered a single bit? This was insane- He never thought like this before! He was going crazy! Oh, Tallest Miyuki, please forgive for my sudden insanity!

"I need a nice snack, that's all- A snack and a hover walk."

Tallest Purple hissed to himself, running a two fingered hand over his face as he hovered out of his chamber to obtain his snack. This was silly, actually worrying over the smaller Irkens. They belonged down below him, like _hello_, that's why they were _short_! _Pfft_- Actually worrying over the shorter Irkens. So stupid. There is nothing wrong with the way the Irken system works and never will be. Tall Irkens, short Irkens, ugly Irkens- All of the Irkens were fine just the way they are.

So, what should he snack on? Donuts, cupcakes, fries? _Ohh_~ He hadn't had curly fries in a looonngg time! The fatty goodness was just a perfect-

"You're an idiot! You can't do a single thing right!"

Purple's food ranting thoughts instantly ended when he heard a male voice harshly cry out at another Irken. The Tallest was hovering only a few feet away, half of his body hidden by the wall that he hadn't hovered around yet. A rather tall Irken, nearly not tall enough to please Purple though, had his face bent downwards towards a smaller Irken. His pink eyes bore into the yellow eyes that were far below him, a snarl taking over the taller Irken's features.

"_I-I-I didn't_-"

"That's right, you didn't think! All you are and ever will be is a stupid food drone! All you are and ever will be is a stupid food drone! You are nothing but a disgrace to the Irken empire, you're just a worthless piece of filth. Can't even do one simple task!"

"_It's… I-I tried, I really just wanted too_-"

"Shut up!"

As soon as the taller Irken raised his three-fingered hand upwards to strike the smaller Irken something within Purple's pak sparked.

"_**Hey**_! _**You**_!"

Both Irkens instantly stopped doing whatever they were doing, stiffening upwards and hands going upwards to salute the voice they knew well. Purple's high pitched voice had cracked slightly at his shrill cry, placing his body between the two Irkens. His purple eyes bore down into the pair of pink eyes, a snarl tugging at the sides of his lips.

"Why on Irk do you think someone as _pathetic_ and _stoopid_ as you can talk to my personal servant drone that way?"

"My Tallest! Forgive me, I did not know-"

"Yeah, of course you didn't know, I wouldn't think someone as dumb as you would think about it. Get out of my face and go do something, like, I don't know, your job! If I see you yell at my personal servant one more time, you'll know what it feels like to be thrown out of an air lock!"

Okay, so yeah, maybe he did threaten to throw people out of air locks too much. Hey, it was something fun to do!

As soon as the taller Irken bow and hurried away was when the Tallest tilted his head downwards to make eye contact with the shorter Irken. She still had her hand up to her forehead, her saluting looking undignified with her trembling figure. Tallest Purple waved a hand to dismiss her salute, noticing the bruises marking around her cheek and neck.

"Are you alright?"

"I… Yes, my almighty Tallest, I am fine. I can not thank you enough."

"It's nothing, it's just-"

His neck twitched, his pak once more sparking.

"-If you weren't such an idiot none of this wouldn't have happen! Go make yourself useful and find me some curly fries! Now, drone, go get the curly fries NOW!"

"Y-Yes, my Tallest!"

The little Irken ran as fast as her small legs could out of the hallway, hurrying along to obtain the food her Tallest wanted. Purple placed one of his hands against the wall to support his body, other hand gripping to the front of his purple robes. What in the name of Irk had just happened right there? One moment he was protecting the smaller Irken and then in the next he was yelling his face off at her!

_By the past Tallests…_

_What's happening to me_?

…

_**(Back on Earth, Dib's room)**_

…

"Zim's so called 'Tallest' wants to take a stand, eh? But a stand against what, exactly?"

Dib was questioning out loud to himself, sitting in a rolling chair before his computer. A bag of chips was on his lap as he watched Zim work in his lab, munching away. It really hadn't been that hard to put a camera in Zim's lab, he had gone over the house and asked Gir to put it in there. So, there he was, just sitting there like the stalker he was.

Man, Dib needed a new hobby, a normal one.

"What would his 'Tallest' need his help with? Zim is on his mission, what would be so important to call Zim while on his mission to ask him? And for that matter, why did he hang up the transmission like that? And another thing, why does Zim have a beaver in his laboratory?"

Unknown to Dib, his father was actually standing outside of his closed bedroom door, actually home for once. Professor Membrane tugged an eyebrow high above his goggles, shaking his head to himself.

"My poor, insane son."

…_**To Be Continued…**_

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See? I told you it might be a slow beginning, but really, I'm going some where. :P

SO- Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a fantastic day! :D

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	3. Of Forgotten Emotions

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Hi guys! Trying to update quicker than I usually do with my stories, so- Hello. :P

A few quick things first and then we'll start-

_xXDark-Rose-MariaXx_- You can have/use her, that's perfectly fine with me, She's more of a filler character, I might use her maybe just this chapter one more time or in another chapter once more. Other than that she will not be given a name or any BIG personality traits, so you can do as you please with her. :) Tell me what you name her and all of that other cool stuff though, I'm a nosey person and want to know! :P

To Everyone Else- THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! I really, really does mean a lot to me, more than a box of kittens! /_**Ahem**__. I might prefer the kittens, but that is not the case here_./ So, thank you once more, I really am going to get to the part I need too, you guys, just might be a slow build is all. :/

So, thank you once again, hope you review, and let me start.

Listening To: _**Evanescence- Bring Me To Life**_

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_**Title: Of Forgotten Emotions**_

Weeks have passed since Tallest Purple had contacted him and Zim's squeedily spooch still knotted to this day thinking about the event.

At first he hadn't cared, oh no, he just let it drop like nothing happened. When he had contacted the Tallests the next day to give them his new plan- '_Using Dib's big head I will attack a solar beam to the back of his head that will actually help to power up my ULTRA SOLAR MEGA BEAM BLOWIE… Up… Thing. Yeah_.'- But there was only Tallest Red there. His Tallest had said that Tallest Purple had obtained some virus and was resting for that day. Zim understood, sometimes even the mightiest of all Irkens must suffer from a virus, including the Tallests.

The next day Zim called again and Tallest Purple was there. Or, at least the hollow image of Tallest Purple was there. This Tallest before him was jumpy, nervous, and though many others didn't notice Zim had caught the sight of the Tallest constantly tapping his fingers against his forearm. One second he would act compassionate, completely composed- And then the next second he would snap at some poor, pathetic Irken that was not as amazing as _**ZIM**_!

Something was terribly wrong with his Tallest and Zim needed to find out what it was, before the problem got to such a point that Tallest Purple may-

No. No, that was a forbidden word in the Irken Empire to even _**think **_of. It would never get to a point like that for either of his Tallests. Zim was worried is all, Tallest Purple had- _Has_ been acting like this for weeks, it was scary to see.

"Well, Zim, you've been really quiet this class period. Thinking over your next plan to take over the world?

Oh yeah, Dib-stink shared this- _Ehh_- '_Homeroom_' class thingy with him in their senior year of high skool. That's another thing Zim didn't get, why was it that these Earthlings called high skool kids seniors, yet those wrinkly, freaky, beady eyed old people were also called seniors? They looked nothing alike! Humans were such dumb creatures. The alien tilted his head backwards to pass at glare at the annoying human, Dib leaning over his desk with a glint in his eyes.

Obnoxiously, Zim used his pencil to push Dib's hands off his desk, as though too disgusted to touch the human himself.

"Ah, silly, _**DISGUSTING**_ Dib. Zim forgot that we shared this class together. Tell me, why is it you still question Zim's greatness when you know that if Zim ever actually tried to take over the Earth it would be his in a matter of seconds?"

"_Pfft_- Like you old plans worked out _soooo_ well."

"**SILENCE**! **DO NOT QUESTION ZIM'S PLANS**!"

"But… You never told me your plan."

"Eh? Oh, yeah. Okay."

Silence lingered on between the two until Dib just sat on top of Zim's desk, rubbing the back of his neck in awkwardness. Their teacher, who changed weekly since they were driven to insanity by the homeroom class, was currently gone, so the whole class was messing around once more. Homeroom was just a break from all of their other classes, but it seemed that this class was taking the worst toll on Zim. Zim had been quiet for weeks and had been seen staring in space, the look on his face-

It looked like someone just murdered one of his parents before his eyes. It was an awful sight.

"Hey, Zim?"

"What, meatbag?"

"I know we aren't friends and we try to kill each other here and there, and you're a jerk- But, you know, if you need anything, you can always come and talk to me."

Instead of the usual mocking laugh or the nasty glare, all Zim did was stare forward to everything, and yet, nothing at all. His arms were crossed over his chest, leaning back in his desk chair without a single care in the world. Or maybe the look on his face was full of all the care in the world, Dib really didn't know at this point. What he did know was that Zim's mood swing he had for weeks must have something to deal with the transmission he received from his 'Tallest'.

"Like Zim would ever come to you for help, Dib-stink."

It only made Dib sick to his stomach when he realized that the words weren't said with the usual disgust and malice, but with depression and some thought put into them.

…

(_**Back on Irk, hovering through the hallways of the Massive**_)

…

"Spill it, Purple, what's wrong with you?"

"For the last time, Red, I'm fine. I'm getting sick of you asking that same question."

"Well, if you told me what was wrong, maybe I would stop asking."

Tallest Red remarked, holding back a growl as Purple completely ignored him, signing all of the papers that were placed before him. The red eyed Tallest didn't say anything as Purple kept lifting his eyes away from the papers, a quick suspicious glance before going back to his signing. He had been doing that for weeks, and oh by the past Tallests, do NOT make Red start talking about his mood swings! _**Ugh**_! One second Purple would be the Purple he knew and then the next second he would be completely insane!

It was like talking to Zim!

Oh, well, that was rude. He wasn't that bad, but still. Still.

"Come on, I know something is wrong, you know you can tell me anything."

"I know I can, now stop being _stoopid_. You're acting as annoying as Zim."

Purple paused form his writing, eyes drifting forward to stare at nothing when that defect's name had left his lips. The Tallest shook his head, antennas flat against his head, two fingered hand reaching upwards to rub his eyes. Red frowned deeply; this wasn't the Purple he knew. _This_ Irken before him seemed constantly stressed and never snacked with him anymore. _This_ Irken would go to his chamber earlier than needed to 'recharge', yet he would be completely exhausted when they started their shift the next day. _This_ Irken didn't joke with Red as much anymore and seemed to be constantly working, as though to get his mind off things.

No. _This_ Irken before him wasn't his co-partner and best friend Purple. This was someone else.

"There, done. What else is there to do?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? Are you some kind of stupid? The job of a Tallest is never done!"

Red tilted his head backwards to look at Purple dully, opening his mouth to lazily reply-

"Well, let's see what you've done today… You went through the smeet facility to make sure there were no problems, went to the all five invader ceremonies to congratulate them on their new ranks, and did the filing our advisor is supposed to do. Let's not forget you also went over all twenty seven different types of battle optics to decide which one would be best for invading, actually answered the treaties that all these planets have been trying to make us do for weeks, went over the battle formats of the elite functions, and decided what food was and was not acceptable in certain rooms of the entire Massive."

Red paused form his talking for a moment, before adding-

"Oh, yeah, and you also contacted _**every single invader **_for an early Probing Day. Other than that, you haven't done much."

The pair of purple eyes narrowed, he opened his mouth to give back a sarcastic reply, but immediately closed it as his eyes widened. Red automatically turned his head to see what he was looking at and quickly caught the sight of two tall Irkens, their tallness didn't impress Red though, and a short, female Irken. Her yellow eyes were cast downwards, though still saluting the two taller Irkens. Both of them were sneering at her, one of them pointing an accusing finger at her trembling form.

Purple instantly snarled, realizing that it was the same guy he yelled at last time and the same small Irken. So, he brought a friend along, eh? Bring it.

"Can you believe this, Nik? This short Irken right here is said to be Tallest Purple's personal servant."

"What? _That_ tiny thing? You're kidding, right? Why would a Tallest want _this_?"

His blue eyed friend sneered, poking the small Irken in the forehead, actually leaving a dark green mark.

"So, tell me, shorty, why would Tallest Purple want _YOU_ as his personal servant? I thought you had to be a certain height to be his personal servant?"

"_I_… I don't know. _Please_, I just want to go and do my job, I didn't mean any harm."

"Yeah, but we do. I hate the fact that someone as short, annoying, and ugly as you would get a position as the Tallest's personal servant when you aren't even the height required!"

The pink eyed Irken struck his hand out, black gloved hand going across the cheek of the smaller Irken, knocking her to the ground. Before Red could even process what was happening Tallest Purple was gone in an instant, now hovering before the two Irken males. Before any of them could say a single word Purple used both of his two fingered hands to grip their collars, pulling them up into the air. A sadistic sneer was across his face, eyes narrowed dangerously at the two.

"_M-M-My Tallest_!"

"_Sir, my Tallest! We- We were- We_…"

"I know, just about to go out of an air lock! I told you last time that if you picked on my personal servant one more time it was air lock time."

"It- I… We- She's so short though! She not tall enough to-"

"And she does her job better than you do yours! Who cares about her height when she actually does the work? I'm so sick of _**THIS**_! Such of these stupid rules, sick of morons like you always yapping and whining and blah-blahing all the time. I mean…"

Red did nothing but stand there as Purple dragged the two Irkens away to find the nearest air lock, ranting away as he did so. His squeedily spooch twisted and knotted suddenly, standing as stiff and cold as a pole would in the harsh winters of the Gleekashore race. He turned his head sideways to glance at the fallen Irken girl, who was still laying against the ground, hand on her cheek.

Did- Did he just say who cares about height?

…

(_**Back on Earth, Zim's laboratory**_)

…

"Computer!"

"_Whhhaaattt_?"

The voice of the base's computer whined, Zim looking at the computer screen to glare at it, though ignored the comment. On the large screen were blueprints of an updated Voot Cruiser, the Irken nodding his head in admiration at the design. Impressive, very impressive, Zim was actually very proud of his design. He should buy himself a cookie later to congratulate himself on such a design.

"Tell Zim- Are the designs on the Voot Cruiser almost ready?"

"Yes, but they won't be finished until later tonight."

"_Mastur_! Why do you need to update the shippy thingy bobby?"

"Simple, Gir. I must adventure off to the Massive; Zim must check on his Tallest and see if everything is going well! In order to do this trip though the Voot Cruiser must be updated, it took about six months to get to Earth- BUT Zim does not have the amount of time to do such a long, horrible journey! SO- I'm fixing up the Voot Cruiser to make the trip about three or four days."

"_Ohh_!"

"Yes, praise Zim, prraaiisseee meeee! It IS an impressive feat."

"Can I come too?"

Zim paused form his plans, passing a sideways glance at his Sir Unit.

"No. You have to stay here and make sure that the beaver doesn't eat any of my lasers. He's been trying to for the past week, I think he's plotting against me."

"Who will keep my company when the evil mutant cow people come to attack me?"

Zim paused form his task once more, noticing that Gir was actually trembling and looking around the lab with wide eyes, as though evil mutant cow people were about to attack him right now.

"Ehh- Computer will still be here to make sure you're safe!"

"Don't bring me into this. I'm not Gir's babysitter."

"SILENCE!"

"But… _But I'll miss you_!"

Tears were now filling the unit's eyes, the Irken rubbing a hand against his tired face, not in the mood to deal with Gir's insanity. Patting a place on his lap the robot immediately went into duty mode, running as fast as he could towards his master. Seriousness was quickly gone as Gir jumped into his master's lap, giggling hysterically as Zim rubbed the top of the unit's head. Years ago he wouldn't have done this, but being with Gir for so many years Gir was like-

Forget it. Zim also wasn't in a mushy mood.

"Think of Zim leaving as a getaway, time away from each other."

"I'mma throw a party when you're gone. It's gonna have tacos and cupcakes and pie and beef and goldfish and vampires. You're gonna miss the _paarartty_, even Millie the chicken is going to come!"

"Have fun. Just don't invite Dib. I want him to suffer in uninvited pain."

Through Zim's insane laughter he never heard the sound of a camera clicking, never seeing the pair of glasses glinting within the laboratory's dim light.

…

(_**Back on Irk, in the hallway**_)

…

"You just seem to have the worst luck."

The yellow eyed Irken glanced away from the floor to look at the face of Tallest Purple, quickly saluting him with unshed tears. _Do not cry in front of your Tallest, it was just a little hit…_ The Tallest frowned deeply, dismissing her salute as she pulled herself off the cold ground. Purple glanced over her uniform, noting how short she was and how her uniform was a wreck.

"Listen, go to Corridor 876 on the fifteen tier, and tell them to get you a Personal Servant Drone uniform, Tallest Purple is the one making you do this. You'll need to make sure the uniform is purple, alright? Not red, 'cuz that would be stupid. And also-"

There it was- That twitch again. Red raised one eye higher than the other when he physically noticed Purple twitching his neck to the side, as though something shocked him. He knew what happened after this. The change in mood would now come along. This has been going on for the past couple of weeks now, it was kinda scary.

"-Remember that what I have just done for you is a miracle! _Pfft_- Look at how short you are, you're lucky that you aren't my foot stool! Short, short, Shorty Mac Short Fry should be your name. You're so short that- Well; who cares, you're just short! Get out of my face! Go get your new robes now!"

"Y-Yes, my Tallest!"

She was gone in a matter of seconds after his cry.

Red spoke not a single word as Purple leaned against the hallway wall, sighing miserably with a hand against his face. Hearing the sound of metal clinging together Purple automatically lifted up his head to see his best friend with his arms crossed over his chest. A frown was now on his face and the other Tallest echoed the same frown, both looked liked that they were looking into a mirror of themselves with different clothing.

"Now- Want to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm fine. I don't understand why you keep doing this. Wanna just go and get some-"

There it was again, the twitch in the neck again, except this time Purple's left eye closed for a moment.

_By the past Tallests_… Was he in _pain_?

The sneer was now gone form his face, replaced with an expression that was a mixture of pain, misery, and exhaustion.

"I… I don't wanna go over this now, Red, we will talk about this. _One day_. Not today though. _Please_, I just want to go and recharge."

Antennas flat against the back of his head, Red nodded at his desperate words, mouth now in a straight line.

The pair of purple eyes turned to look any where but at his co-partner, turning his back to hover towards his own chamber. The trip to his chamber was long, cold, almost as though even the walls were bitterly mocking him of this disaster. Purple felt himself losing control and it seemed that it was happening more often now. Ever since he had become Tallest all he ever felt was happiness, sure, annoyed when Zim called or out of donuts. He had always been happy though.

Now though…

It seemed that whatever was wrong with him was constantly messing with his moods. One second that pure joy and blissful happiness he had always felt as a Tallest would be back within his grasp. If something happened though that happiness- _That blissful, ignorant joy_- Would be taken away from him like a laser would be taken from a smeet. He felt angry, constantly being mocked, seeing the mistakes that were being made in _his_ empire.

He missed the blissful ignorance, yet when he had felt his newest mood swing he felt the powerful surge of many emotions. Purple felt rage like water was being poured onto his head and it was slowly seeping through his head like acid. He felt sorrow for shorter Irkens like he was the one going through every single stupid situation they went through. He felt the up-most pride when he saw the short Irkens get up after every single situation without sparing a single tear. This side was more thoughtful, more caring, and definitely knew something was wrong with the Irken Empire. He felt more… What was it...?

He felt more…

_Alive_.

And that was a feeling that he hadn't felt in absolute years.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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So, this was pretty much just a filler chapter! Told you, I'm slowly getting to the main action point, so sorry about this, you guys!

Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a fantastic day!

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	4. Something Off

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Hey guys, sorry it's been awhile! I've been off on vacation to a few different states, but I'm back now! Well; for a little bit, I have to type this up really late at night, so kinda tired. XD

ANYWAY- This is kinda just a filler chapter to get to the main points. Or, well, what I'm trying to do with this chapter to get with the main point. I guess, I'm not really sure myself- Ehh- Whatever. Just read and review, will ya?! ;D

So, let me start!

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_**Something Off**_

_**(Two Days Later, On The Massive, Tallest Purple's Chamber.)**_

…

Two fingered hands tugged his antennas flat against his head; purple eyes closed tightly to try and hide form the world. Darkness blanket all around him, only the dim lights from a few different machines lighting the chamber. The Tallest was leaning against the edge of his bed in a fetal position, trying to block out any sort of sound. Only a grunt would leave him here and there when there was that shock again- That spark that would make him do that damn twitch again! That twitch- That twitch, whatever it was, was making him into some freak!

Words, _their_ words, the words from the _other side_ replaying in his mind. Over, and over, and over again-

"Hey, it's alright, Pur, it'll pass soon. If it doesn't go away soon, then go to the medical bay, they should be able to help you. And who knows, maybe someone will give you a little _extra_ help. It's probably just hunger is all."

_Wrong__._

"_Ehh_- Yes, sir, your new personal drone has gotten her uniform. As your advisor though, Tallest Purple, I must inform you that she does not meet the height requirement. She will not do a good job at being your servant, I mean, just look at her height!"

_False__._

"I-I don't think I'll do any good at my new job. My Tallest, but I'll try my best. B-But… My height… You know what everyone says, sir…"

_Misguided_.

"As your Commander, I'm telling you this as a fact! If we make a treaty with them, the Flokerians will trust us completely with their lives. And when they do that is when it will be the perfect opportunity to strike! We can take _**everything**_ from them!"

_Immoral_.

"Nothing is wrong, Purple. Everything is fine, just relax."

_LIES_!

The Tallest didn't even realize that he had sprinted from his crouching position, arms flinging around the dark room in a blind rage. Items crashed and glass shattered, though he still refused to open his eyes to see anything around him. Liquid was seeping through new wounds, but that was the least of his worries at this point. He could feel his emotions changing at a constant pace, sickness rising in his squeedily spooch when all of these feelings clashed in a battle for dominance. He wanted to go to the Control Brains for help, for anything- But his mind refused him, even _begged_ him to not go see them.

'_There is something else going on here, don't you see? They are behind this- Don't go to the enemy for help! This is happening to you for a reason!_'

'_No, self, I'm just going crazy from hunger is all. Didn't have enough snacks lately. I mean, look at me- I'm just wasting away_!'

'_This is bigger than your damn snacks! This is bigger than Irk itself! Something is going on here that no other Irken can see! A hidden agenda, a game at antenna, a blindfold on so no one can see- Do you need any more phrases or do you finally get it?!_'

'_Nothing is bigger than snacks_!'

'_I can't talk to you when you're like this_.'

'_Good, I don't want to talk to you anyway! You're __**stoopid**_!'

'_You do realize you're calling yourself stupid, right_?'

'_Shut up_!'

An exhausted sigh escaped Purple's lips, slowly letting his legs slip from under his body to plop himself down on the edge of the bed. He cradled his face within his palms, now annoyed over the fact that he was arguing with himself. Except for the fact it wasn't himself, well; not really. There was the Purple within himself that came out with every other spark. That Purple was intelligent, thoughtful, and selfless-

By the past Tallests, Tallest Purple hated that side of himself more than any Vortian he ever knew.

'_You know, hating yourself is a sign of depression_…'

'_**Shut up**_!'

Unknown to Purple, from the doorway Tallest Red saw everything that his best friend had done.

Tomorrow he would confront the Control Brains about him, whether he liked it or not.

…

_**(In The Middle Of Space, Zim In His New And Improved Vootcruiser.)**_

…

"Where did Zim put-"

"Left hand, green button that's for the laser- You left the bag of chips there."

"Ah! Thank you, Dib-stink."

As soon as the words left Zim's mouth his head whipped around, jaw slacking open at the sight of Dib in his Voot Cruiser. For a second the Irken tried tricking himself into believing that he wasn't really there, it was just being in this Voot Cruiser for an entire day… Nope. Not fake. There was Dib, leaning over the empty chair by Zim's side like he belonged there. The alien silently cursed at himself for adding more space in the Voot Cruiser like storage area and an extra seat. Some _**improvement**_ that was to the ship.

"Dib?! … _**Diiiibbbb-Sttiinnkk**_- You pathetic, disgusting human- Why are you in my _**shhhiiippp**_?!"

"For the chips."

He shrugged innocently, reaching forward to grab the bag of chips off the dash board. Zim instantly struck his hand forward, taking the chips before Dib could. The Irken curled into a ball around his bag of chips, hissing and growling when Dib reached over to try and take the chips from his. With a raised eyebrow he took his hand back, a sneer crossing his face.

"Duh, idiot! I got on this ship to see your planet and stop your plans! I don't know what you're up to, Zim, but for you to go to your planet it must be something big! I've been waiting for years to see your planet and now I will finally have the chance!"

Zim smirked to himself. Ah, yes, for years the human had tried many plans to figure out a way to get to Irk to learn more about the planet. Every single plan and plot how ended up the same way though- In total disaster. It seems that this time might be different though.

"Dib! _Dib you_- I don't have time for your little _**games**_! _Ugh_… I'm to far away to take you back to Earth; I'm only a few hours away from Irk. So, Zim will just-!"

"You can't eject me out of the ship, I removed the button."

"_**WHAT**_?!"

"Remember when I wasn't at school on Thursday? I was actually in your laboratory messing with your Voot Cruiser removing things. I gave Gir some tacos and he let me in your house. The computer was sarcastic and rude to me, but it let me do what I wanted to the ship. By the way- An Ultra Bacon Launcher button, Zim? Really? That button was just a waste of time and was messing with the wiring."

"You took out the eject button and my bacon launcher? Human! Meatbag! You- _**ARRGH**_!"

Dib winched when Zim slammed his head against the dash board multiple times, the Irken only stopping after his vision went black for a moment. The Irken placed his face within his hands, letting a frustrated sigh escape through his lips. He couldn't eject Dib out of the ship and the lasers were all the way back in the storage area. He knew if he tried to get them Dib would get them before him, a fight didn't need to break out in the Voot Cruiser. He needed his Voot Cruiser to survive to see if his-

"Is this about your… 'Tallest'?"

"_**How do you**_-"

The sentence never even finished before a slow hiss left the Irken's lips instead of words, rage instantly masking his face. He turned away from the human rather coldly, three fingered hand tightly gripping the wheel of the Voot Cruiser.

"Take in this moment, Dib. You won the battle you've been trying to achieve for years. You will finally see the almighty Irk."

"Zim…"

"_**No more talking**_."

And that's just what happened.

…

_**(Few Hours Later, Tallest Red Messaging The Control Brains)**_

…

'Tomorrow' had actually become a few hours later for Tallest Red.

Tomorrow was to far away for this sort of situation. Purple was not only destructive to himself, but also to the entire Empire. Over the past few months Purple had tossed way to many Irkens out of the air lock, more than usual. Red didn't care about them though, he cared about Purple- And by the sight tonight he knew that his co-partner was a dangerous hazard to himself. Tomorrow really was to far away, because tomorrow…

Tomorrow he might find Purple without his Pak unless the Control Brains step into the picture.

The Tallest didn't even realize that his eyes were closing until a beeping noise caught his attention, heading snapping forward to the sound. His red eyes glanced downwards at the floating screen by his side seeing that the Control Brains had _finally_ contacted him back. Red glanced upwards at the control room around him, seeing only a few droids working the screens right now. On Irk it was the time of day when the small planet Mortika would orbit through Irk's field, blocking half the path of their sun. Which, in a way, would make it night time. Even if they were on the Massive they would still follow the schedule of their home planet.

Oh, by the past Tallests- How Red missed Irk right now. He wanted to be any where but on the Massive at this point.

"My Tallest, I believe it was your communicator that went off a few moments ago."

"Yeah, yeah… I'm getting it, can't a Tallest just relax?"

"Yes, of course, my Tallest. Forgive me, sir."

Tallest Red sneered at the drone, reaching over to place his hand against the screen that was attached to the hovering panel. Instantly a cord shot out of the device, floating in the air until it found an open slot to connect with inside Red's Pak. This was a way for Tallest Red to communicate between the Control Brains without having anyone hear their conversations or needing to actually go back to Irk to see the Control Brains face to face.

Or face to brains, whatever.

'-**Tallest Red- You have contacted us to inquire about the condition of the Pak belonging to Tallest Purple. Before any of your questions are answered you must answer our question. Why do you inquire the condition of the Pak belonging to Tallest Purple**?-'

'_I was just curious to-_'

'-**Do not lie to us, Tallest Red. We know when you are lying**_.-_'

Red visibly shivered at the emotionless tone.

'_Pur- Tallest Purple has been showing some… Emotional distress for a while. He isn't the same as he usually is, something seems to be off. I'm worried that this will get in the way and harm the Empire_.'

'-**Our data shows us that Tallest Purple has increased his productivity by over 84.5 units, it does not seem that the Irken Empire is suffering from his emotional distress**.-'

'_If you're collecting data on everything then check your data on how many Irkens have either received an injury or died lately_.'

'-_**Obtaining**_**… **_**Obtaining**_**… Injuries have increased up to 86.7 units and deaths have increased to 76 units. It would seem that the more Tallest Purple increases his productivity the more physically injuries is placed onto those aboard the Massive**.-'

'_He's also been having these crazy mood swings. One second he's himself and then the next second he's acting like a completely different Irken. There's this weird twitch that he does when he switches between moods, I think he's in real pain_.'

'-**Tallest Purple seems to be in physical harm when his emotional statement changes**?-'

'_Yeah, and this has been happening a lot lately! He is nothing like himself when he changes! He is doing things he would never do! He didn't even touch a single donut in his bag and just a while ago he hired some short Irken to be his Personal Servant Drone, I just_…'

'-**A short Personal Service Drone? Does this Irken meet the unit requirements to be the Personal Service Drone of Tallest Purple**?-'

Tallest Red felt his fingers flinch on the screen they were connected to, which made his entire body now twitch in worry. The Control Brains knew that he was hesitating the answer he had to give.

'… _No, she doesn't, not even close. Tallest Purple has been lacking the height requirements with each change of mood_.'

'-**We see. Tallest Red, we will require to access your Pak storage to go through your memories. We need to see through your eyes about the state Tallest Purple has been acting before you**.-'

'_Do I even have a choice_?'

'-**No**.-'

Tallest Red twisted his head to the side as a shock of pain jolted through his Pak, closing his eyes though never removing his hand from the screen. His antennas twitched as memories from a few months ago all went through his mind at once… The party they had with Advisor Vix, Purple pushing a cup of soda away, his best friend twitching in pain as he screamed into the face of a shorter Irken… Suddenly all that was in his mind was the image of dark purple liquid…

_Oh no, no_… _By Tallest Spork_- It was the image of Purple cradling himself just a few hours ago, his own blood sneered all over his body.

'-**You will bring Tallest Purple to Irk to have his Pak check immediately. This problem is more severe than you could ever know. We will have Tallest Purple back to his normal state as soon as we have achieved access to his Pak**.-'

'_Yes, of course, the Massive's next course will go directly to Irk._'

'-**Good**.-'

The cord instantly pulled out of Red's back and retracted back into the device, the Tallest finally being able to pull his hand off the screen. His eyes narrowed at the blank screen by his side, angrily sneering at it while he cradled his hand like a smeet that had just gotten hurt. When his red eyes glanced away from it he saw all eyes gazing at him in worry, which only made the Tallest grunt in annoyance.

He wasn't the Tallest that they needed to worry about.

"Is everything alright, my Tallest?"

"Yes, we no longer will be going to Tyrenato though, set for a new course."

"What planet will we be going to, my Tallest?"

"Irk."

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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Hey! Thanks for reading!

Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz! Have a great day! :D

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	5. Let Me Help You

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**FINALLY FIXED THE BUTTON, THE STORY DOES NOT SAY COMPLETE ANYMORE**! :D

To explain a bit- As you can tell by the last chapter, it was completely rushed. I've actually had most of it done for about a month now except the last part. So, I quickly rushed and finished it in order to put it up finally.

Don't worry- This chapter won't be as rushed and will actually be long enough to get something real into it. ;P Also to add- I never re-read over the stories I type or anything like that, I just type the chapter and post it. So, in advance, sorry for all of the grammar problems and such! I'm just way to lazy to actually re-read every problem and fix! I also know that if I did that I would just freak out about the whole chapter and delete it. :P

Thank you to all the reviews! You guys have no idea what they mean to me! Your reviews help me to go along with the story and keep me confident in typing. I really, REALLY love your reviews; I love them more than bacon! */_Just kidding, I'mma marry bacon_/* If I could I would message every single one of you to tell you how much your favorites/reviews mean to me! I never thought that I was going to continue this story- I was just going to leave it at the first chapter and let you guys decide how it was going to end. I guess that's not the way it's going to go though. ;D

**Note to Dark-Rose-Maria**: I keep using the yellow-eyed drone more than I thought I was going to, sorry! I only thought she was going to be a one time thing! I hope I haven't added any personality traits or anything like that to her that may ruin her character idea that you had for her! She's still all yours if I haven't messed up her character idea to much! :D

**Note to BugGeeRee**: I wish I could do fan art/small comics for this, but sadly my hands were not made to be an artist, only to type stories up. D; You can do fan art if you want though, anyone can! It would be an honor for someone to do fan art! :D I'm not doing any for this story though, so sorry!

Here's a bit to explain the dialogue in this chapter-

'_This_.'- 'Normal' side of Tallest Purple.

'_This_.'- 'The Other' side of Tallest Purple

"-**This**.-"- The Control Brains

_Oh, jeez_- Longest author's response I've ever had. Sorry guys. D;

So, let me begin chapter five!

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_**Let Me Help You**_

…

_**(A Couple Of Hours Later, In The Control Room On The Massive, Tallest Purple)**_

…

Before he even hovered into the room he knew something was wrong.

As the metallic doors slid open the pair of purple eyes glanced around the room, trying his best to keep the dull look on is face. All eyes were now gazing towards him, some staring in fear, others in worry, but all were looking at him. The room was thick with a nervous emotion, the feeling making Purple sick to his squeedily spooch. The drones saluted mindlessly but Tallest Purple paid no mind to them for the fact that his eyes caught the sight of something more important.

Tallest Red had his head tilted sideways, mouth in a straight line and eyes glaring directly into the pair of purple across the room. It was like his best friend was trying to pull him apart piece by piece, like he could see every single problem Purple had with just blink of his eyes. Tallest Purple kept his back straight though, letting his eyes narrow to see the Irken before Red. She was rather tall, eyes a rich shade of lime green and antennas curled behind her head. She was good looking, especially with her perfect body clad in a white uniform with red and purple stitching.

Wait- White uniform with red and purple stitching? The white uniform only belongs to the-

Tallest Purple accidentally let a growl slip from deep within his throat.

"Where is Advisor Vix, Red?"

"Who?"

"Vix- You know him. Pink eyes, kinda looked stupid when he had to recite Irken Coding, and the one who wore a white uniform exactly like the one she's wearing. Vix had also been the one who had been our advisor for the longest time and our friend. That guy."

"Oh! Vix! Yeah, he had to go- Didn't take the job seriously and apparently he's been slipping through the coding files and been stealing from the Empire. Can you believe the nerve of that guy? This is Gig, our new advisor; she will be the one handling everything now. We discussed changing advisors a while back, Pur, or did you forget?"

It was only Purple who caught through the innocent smile Red gave off, trying his hardest to not let a snarl take over his features. Tallest Purple gave a smile and a small wave at Gig, who nervously was glancing from between her Tallests. It seemed she was the only one who caught the tension between the Tallests, both of their bodies slightly flexed and jaws locked. Something was going on here that was just between the Tallests and Gig was going to help out in any way she could.

"Good day to you, Tallest Purple, you are looking as charming as always. May I present you with the galaxy sightings and schedule today, my Tallest?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Can someone message my Personal Servant and tell her to get me some soda? She already knows what to get me."

"I will, my Tallest."

With a simple nod, Tallest Purple hovered towards the platform where Red and Gig were at, making sure to not make eye contact with his best friend. He was raging on the inside, how dare Red change their advisor without his permission and then act like they had already discussed the topic! Their new advisor instantly waved her hand in the air, a holographic screen appearing before them with many different charts and the view of the galaxy around them.

"There have been no sightings of asteroids heading towards the Massive, no threats of the sort. We have passed by Planetary Sector 3 approximately 38 units ago- Each planet is clearly marked with the Irken symbol still and the Resisty has not touched any of these planets that belong to Irk. We should be passing planet Mortika in about 64 units. And-"

"Wait- What? Planet Mortika? That is that _dumb_ planet filled with those _stoopid_ people that orbit around Irk! Why are we passing by them? That's the complete opposite of where we are going!"

"I beg your pardon, my Tallest? That is the direction we are going. We are heading off to Irk."

"What? Why?!"

"Tallest Red has to meet with Commander Sic about the twenty seven different Battle Optics that he plans on doing. After that then Tallest Red must meet with the smeet facility to see if there are any issues dealing with the birthing of the smeets."

"What am I doing then?"

"It seems you have an important meeting with the Control Brains as soon as we reach Irk, my Tallest."

The sound of doors swooshing open caught Purple's attention, the Tallest whipping his head around to see who it was. There was another attractive female Irken who gave a salute with one hand, her other hand holding a cup of soda. She was only a few inches smaller than their new advisor Gig, but her upper body seemed to have been filled in more places than their advisor. That's when Tallest Purple finally caught the uniform she was wearing and her eye color.

She had a pair of pink eyes and was wearing the Tallest Personal Service Drone uniform.

She was wearing _**his**_ Personal Service Drone uniform and did not have the yellow eyes of _**his**_ Personal Service Drone.

Tallest Purple felt a shock of pain jolt through his body, head twitching sideways, mood instantly switching.

"Red- You have _**a lot**_ of explaining to do!"

…

_**(In Zim's Voot Cruiser, One Hour Later)**_

…

"She smelt of old socks and tacos!"

"I think that's why Gir liked her so much. It was perfect when she ran out of school screaming when Gir tried to pull her arm off!_ Muhahaha_!"

"Don't forget that other new kid with the big eye! Remember when you sent that flock of liver-eating ducks to get him because he tried to bully me? Classic!"

"Do not forget the time when you pushed some stupid human down a flight of stairs because he threatened to kill the almighty Zim! And you were all like- "_Zim is my enemy, not yours! Go get your own! Zim is my enemy even though I, the pitiful Dib-Stink, will never compare to Zim and will never defeat him_!" And then you cried like a smeet."

"I did not! You're making that up!"

The two laughed full heartedly as Dib tossed some chips directly at Zim's face, the two munching away at all the food around them. After the two had been silent for a few hours Zim had said something to himself out loud, which in return Dib had to make a sarcastic reply back. And a hour later they ended up with like, leisurely talking away as the ship was set to Auto Pilot.

"So, how far are we from Irk?"

"Eh? Probably an hour or so, not to far now. We're passing planet Mortika now."

"Oh, wow!"

A breathless gasp escaped Dib's lips, the human pressing himself up against the side of the ship's window as close as he could. Floating about three hundred feet from the ship was planet Mortika, the coloring of the planet a mixture of white and blue. The rings around the planet were a pale gray, a light tint of white over the rim of the rings; it was clearly ice marking the rings. That planet must have been some sort of ice planet like Pluto, it didn't matter what type of planet this was though. Dib was just excited to see it!

The teenager took a few pictures of the planet with his camera, grinning from ear to ear.

"This is so cool!"

"You think that's cool? Pfft- Pathetic human. You need to see planet Mortika when it is orbiting between planet Irk and Sector's 1 Main Star."

"Main star? Sector 1? Orbiting between? And why?"

"Too many questions, Meatbag! One thing at a time! Now… The planets Irk has taken over are in Sectors, Sector 1 is directly where Irk is located. A main star is like what you Earthlings call your Sun; it is our source of heat and other useless essentials, blahblah. When planet Mortika passes between planet Irk and the Main Star it actually changes temperature. The ice around the planet actually melts and you are able to see the planet's true coloring."

"Really?! What color is it really? What happens to the citizens when the temperature changes like that? When the planet orbits in your area does that make it nighttime for you guys? What-"

"_**DIB**_!"

"_Ehh_- Sorry. I'm excited is all. Continue."

"**NOW**- Mortika's true color is a mixture between orange and lilac; it really is a nice planet. It is still nothing compared to Irk though! The Mortikans are perfectly fine about the change in temperature, it is only for a few hours and they are use to such change. Because of the planet's _tiny_ size it only darkens certain parts of Irk and because of our atmosphere is does not really become night time on our planet like it does on Earth. It just becomes slightly purple at night, not dark enough to actually be night, more like a dark sunset. But, _eh_- We count it as night."

"Wow! This is all so cool! I can't believe you are letting me see this with you!"

"It's not like Zim really had a choice in this, you are the one who snuck onto the ship and messed with the controls."

The Irken's eyes narrowed though, a smug look crossing his lips as he tilted his head to the side towards Dib.

"Zim would never admit that he ever said this, _hyu-man_- But your plan was ingenious. Taking out the buttons so Zim could now throw you out of his ship and then you show yourself when we're so close to Irk. Very impressive, well, very impressive for a _**DISGUSTING**_ human that is."

"…Thanks, Zim. I would never admit this to anyone and I would cut my own foot off before I admitted to this- But you did a great job improving your Voot Cruiser. I think your empire would be proud to see how much you have improved this ship."

"Zim already knows that he's amazing, you don't need to praise."

The two smirked at one another before turning their attention away from each other, eyes looking in opposite directions. They stayed in silence for a few moments until the teenager let his mouth fall open, letting the words slip from his lips before he could stop them…

"So, can you tell me a bit about Irk since I'm going to see it anyway?"

"_Ehh_- Fine. Since we have many much hours before we reach Irk. Let us-"

"Many much?"

"Yes, Dibling, many much hours. If you make Zim repeat himself one more time he's turning this ship around!"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"Excellent. Let us begin with the beginning of Irk…"

…

_**(One Hour Later, On The Massive, Tallest Purple's Chamber)**_

…

"_By the past Tallest Miyuki_… Why are you doing this, Red? Why?!"

"Why?!"

Red hissed back, ignoring the fact that his best friend was throwing his arms up in the air like a smeet have a tempter tantrum. The red eyed Tallest was sitting on the edge of Purple's bed as the purple eyed Irken was hovering back and forth before him in rage. Purple whipped his head around at Red's own cry, growling back at his co-partner with a sneer crossing his face.

"I am asking why, not you! Why is Vix no longer our Advisor? And where is my 'lil Personal Service Drone? Why are you doing this?!"

"_**For you, Purple**_!"

The chamber instantly went silent after his roar.

One Tallest stopped hovering around, turning his head to look directly at the face of his partner. Both eyes met each other, one of pair of eyes raging and the other pair filled with misery. Rage quickly died down in the purple eyes when he noticed the sadness on his best friend's face. Red leaned down on his hands to tilt his head upwards; making sure that he was looking up into the face of Tallest Purple.

"You haven't been yourself for months and I'm tired of it. You're always in pain, Purple, and that twitch is kinda freaking me out. You get these mood swings constantly; no one has any idea how to act around you anymore. You don't get to hear the questions I am asked about you from the workers! "_If I wave at Tallest Purple will he wave back or throw me out of an air lock_?" and "_Should I bow my head when he calls me or should I verbally respond to him_?"… "_Is there anything I can do that won't make Tallest Purple angry like he had been lately? I'm worried, Tallest Red_. _Scared, my Tallest_."

"I-"

"No! I'm not done yet! And that stupid Personal Service Drone of yours! She didn't even closely reach the high requirement to even have the position! You haven't been following any of the height requirement rules lately! That night at the party you changed for some reason and Vix was behind it, he had to go. I don't care what you say either, Vix isn't coming back. I sent him away to watch over planet Utmion with General Hid."

"That planet is across the galaxy!"

"Exactly! He needs to be that far away from you! He some how did this to you, I don't know what he did to you the night of the party, but it changed something. It changed you. You can't keep acting like this anymore, Purple, these mood swings need to go. You're scaring everyone! You're scaring me! You don't joke anymore, you don't laugh anymore, and you don't even smile anymore! _I_- I don't even remember what your real smile looks like anymore, Pur."

"_Red_…"

"I got in contact with the Control Brains when you were in your chamber. They asked a few questions and then I explained to them what was happening with you. I let them go through my memories of the past few months to see through my eyes about how you have been acting. They don't like it, Purple, nobody likes the way you have been.

"The Control Brains? _No, no, no_… Red- You don't understand-"

"You told me that you would talk to me about what's wrong with you one day and help me understand. You never gave me that one day. So now I'm making today that one day. As soon as are transported on Irk you will immediately go and see the Control Brains. They seem to know what your problem is and want to help you out. We _all_ want to help you. This topic is not up for discussion."

Red pushed himself off the bed and hovered to the metallic door, not sparing a single look at his best friend. Tallest Purple let himself slowly slip into the spot that Red had just been in at the edge of the bed, a look of devastation crossing his face. This wasn't happening, this wasn't actually happening right here, not right now. Tallest Red paused right before the door, letting his hand slip on the code pad as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at Purple.

"This isn't you, Purple. It seems like you're becoming a… A defect. I **_will_ **help you through this, whether you like it or not."

Then he was out of the door.

Purple cradled his face within his two fingered hands, hunching over the side of the bed, feeling himself becoming sick. This was too much to take in at one. Too much information, too many words, too many emotions… _Oh_, by the Past Tallest Miyuki, the Control Brains wanted to see him… There was nothing he could do about this. Yet, there was still that part of his brain that was screaming at him, begging him to not go see the Control Brains. And then there was that word all over again.

Defect.

_Defect_.

'_Am I becoming a defect_?'

'_Who says you weren't one already_?'

And the normal side of Purple had nothing to say to that, because there was no true answer.

…

_**(Two Hours Later, Back In Zim's Voot Cruiser)**_

…

"-And now we're here and this is how Irk became the greatest planet in the entire universe."

"Wow. You guys really are great. Your achievements are… Breathtaking. Not better than Earth, of course, but still great."

"Ah, Dib, Zim will only ignore that comment because he can hear the jealously in your voice."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Dib stopped talking for a moment, turning his entire body around so he can have his attention directed towards Zim. The Irken lifted one eye higher than the other, shifting in his seat at the uncomfortable feeling of being watched so intensely. Zim put his hands on the wheel as he took the Voot Cruiser out of Auto Pilot, knowing that they were going to get to Irk's surface soon.

"You don't have to tell me-"

"What do you want, Dib-Stink?"

"But your Tallest… Is he alright?"

"**Dib**, how dare such a disgusting human like you ask about-"

"Are **you** alright? I'm worried about you is all, Zim. You haven't been yourself lately; you no longer do any of your evil plans or anything like that. You've been this way for months… You don't hear the rumors going around the entire high school. It's more than just me that's worried about you, Zim; a lot of people are worried. Our teachers, our classmates- Even Gaz made a comment that you were acting different. I just…"

The human paused for a moment, looking hesitant before he quietly added…

"Want to see you smile. I just want to help you out in any way that I can. You're my friend, Zim, whether you like it or not."

Zim's magenta eyes stared forward through the window, shoulders stiff and body arched. Dib frowned deeply, turning back into his seat properly, also staring forward. Of course, when he tried to finally help Zim out he was given the cold shoulder. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Even if they were enemies they were the closest of enemies- Closest of friends. If Dib could trust him then why could Zim not trust-

"Tallest Purple has not been acting like himself these past few months, Dib-Worm. He has been having strange mood swings lately; this is not like a Tallest to do. This is not something that Tallest Purple would do. He also made contact with Zim months ago, said something about a… Stand. A stand against what I am not sure, but a stand against something. He has not been himself ever since that transmission and Zim plans on finding out what has happened with him, Earthling. I am- Concerned."

Dib gave a slow blink, taking in all of what Zim had said.

"Oh… Oh, well; yeah, okay. So, you're going to meet up with your Tallest then in some building on Irk?"

"Nope."

"_Uhh_- Okay, so you're meeting your Tallest not in a building on Irk?"

"Nu-uh."

"Then where exactly are you meeting up with him on Irk?!"

"Silly Dibling, I am not meeting up with Tallest Purple on Irk, I am going to Irk just to get the coordinates of where the Massive is from the computer system! Zim lost the coordinates a year back and has not gotten then recently, so he must obtain them once more!"

"But… You told me the Massive is the largest and faster ship around, they could be months away from us, Zim!"

"Ah- Yes, yes they could, Dib. This is what an invader does for his Tallest though; they will go to the end of the universe just for their Tallest."

"My dad is going to kill me."

The teenager moaned, placing his face within his hands for middle finger and index finger on both hands could rub against his temples. This was senior year, both Dib and Zim needed to be back to school by Monday, they already missed Thursday and Friday. Today should still be Friday night- Or was it Saturday? Oh God, he was going to get in so much trouble for missing this much school in his last year of school…

All worries were instantly gone when Dib caught the sight before his eyes.

His eyes widened at the sight of the very large planet they were coming up to, not even noticing anything else around him. The planet's coloring was a deep magenta, the color standing out against the dark abyss of space. The closer they got the easier it was to see that the planet was nearly covered with buildings on every inch, each lighting up with many colors. Their buildings were more high tech and seemed to nearly loom over Irk's surface. Every twist of his head he caught the image of the Irken symbol plastered some where on the buildings.

Mortika must have been orbiting passed Irk at this time for the fact that the sky was a deep purple, night time on Irk. With all of the lights and moving action going on it was almost impossible to tell that it was night time! Ships were zooming all over the area; the human watching in utter excitement when he saw Irkens doing tricks with their spider legs from their Paks. Zim turned the wheel as the zipped over the tops of the building, the dark purple coloring of the atmosphere reflecting off the metallic of the building walls.

Everything was so lively here! There were aliens every where! Irkens of all shapes, heights, and different eye colors! Dib was so awed by this entire planet that he didn't even reach for his camera once, knowing this was going to be an image he never forgot. No city on Earth could ever compare to the city they were in now- Nothing on Earth itself could compare to what he was seeing on Irk!

Irk was everything Dib thought of and so much more.

It was perfect.

"Welcome to Irk, Dib. Zim believes the welcoming went rather well?"

"Yeah… Yeah, it did. Really well."

Zim smirked at the amazed look on Dib's face, finally being able to prove that Irk was far more superior to Earth. This all was just so…

Perfect.

_Just perfect_.

…

_**(On Irk, Control Brains' Headquarters, Tallest Purple)**_

…

Perfect.

_**Just perfect**_.

Purple slowly hovered through the corridors of the headquarters, making sure to not make eye contact with any Irken who passed who. He ignored the drones' salutes, the guards' waves, and even the smiles of the pretty female Irkens. None of them matter. No, that wasn't it. The problem was that they all mattered, but he couldn't save every one of them. What was he trying to save them from though? What exactly was his problem with the Control Brains? He was perfectly normal, nothing was wrong with him…

'_Yeah, okay, you keep telling yourself that. Just be on the tips of your antenna around the Control Brains though. They are the ones behind this, I know it_.'

'_By the past Tallest- STOP making it sound like we're two completely different Irkens. We are the same person! We both like snacks, we both are sarcastic, we're both the Tallest, and wanna know why? 'Cuz we're the same Irken! Stop making it sound like we're not the same person_!'

'_Fine. I'll play this game with you. If we're the same Irken, then you are also the one who is making 'us' split into two different Irkens. You are the one who is always constantly arguing with me- 'Himself'. You are also the one who keeps making us into two different Irkens! Stop arguing with me and just accept your feelings! You know something is going on here_!'

'_Shut up, shut up, shut up, __**SHUT UP**_!'

"Tallest Purple, the Control Brains are ready to see you."

"Thank you."

He responded back mindlessly, hovering towards the pair of large doors that belonged to the very top floor of the enormous building. _Jeez_- These doors were huge! They were like fifteen feet! There was never going to be a Tallest this tall! Or so Purple hoped. With a shaky breath the Tallest placed his two-fingered hand against the scanner connected to the door, hearing the beeping sound that approved his DNA. The doors slid wide open so Tallest Purple, waiting for him to hover through.

Without a single thought he went through the doors.

He flinched when the doors slammed shut behind him, ignoring the feeling in his squeedily spooch when the platform he was on started to float upwards towards the high ceiling. The large room was covered with eerie light that was a combination of the blue lighting from the thousands of wires to the poles that were twisted with scarlet lights. It was creepy, this place was really creepy. Almost as creepy as when Zim told the Tallest years ago the exact location of the Massive.

Zim might be a little bit creepier than this place though… _Maybe_.

The platform finally came to a halt about a hundred feet in the air, Tallest Purple keeping his back completely straight at what was before him. The Control Brains were floating before, one large brain in the middle of two smaller brains; all three had scarlet eyes that seemed to have been glaring. Wires were sticking out of every inch of the Control Brains, screens floating around the area around them, each screen covered with some sort of image. Tallest Purple had never seen so much data in his entire existence!

'_Think about all the data that they have, all they secrets that they have kept from us_…'

'_Didn't I tell you earlier to shut up_?'

"-**Welcome, Tallest Purple, we have been waiting for you**.-"

"Hey."

"-**Do you know why you are here, Tallest Purple**?-"

"I would guess for free donuts, but I don't feel that lucky today."

"-**Tallest Red had stated his worry over your welfare, he has said that you have been experiencing extreme mood swings. We have seen through his memories of the crimes you have committed while on board the Massive.** **Injuries have increased up to 86.7 units and deaths have increased to 76 units on the Massive, all by your hand, Tallest Purple. It has also been reported that you are going through physical harm every time you experience a change in moods. You have been placed down as a dangerous hazard to both the Irken Empire and yourself. You have also not been following height regulations dealing with the workers on the Massive. You have broken many regulations, Tallest Purple. How do you plead to these statements**?-"

"Guilty."

'_They know something we don't._'

'_Didn't I say stop with this 'we' stuff_?'

'_You say stop to a lot of things_.'

"-**Very well. Are there any statements you would like to present to us about your condition**?-"

'_Tell them no- This is a trap_.'

"No, there is nothing that I would like to present, Control Brains."

"-**No statements at all, Tallest Purple? Are you sure you would like us to record no offical statements from you**?-"

'_You're right_. _This is more a trap than the time Red gave me that bag of chips filled with trash pieces shaped like chips... I still haven't forgiven him for that. Took hours to get that trash out of my teeth!_'

"I have no statements to make."

"-**Indeed. We would like to help you with your problem dealing with the broken chip in your Pak, Tallest Purple. You will not be punished in any way. The Irken Empire just wants to fix the problem you are dealing with and have you go back to normal. We will need you to open your Pak in order to obtain this achievement**.-"

"Yeah, okay, here, let me just…"

'_Stop and think about what they just said. Broken chip.._.'

'_Broken chip_…'

'_Broken chip_!'

'_BROKEN CHIP_!'

In an instant something finally clicked inside Tallest Purple's head, the shock he was nor familiar with happening once more.

"How do you _know_ I have a broken chip?"

Purple asked in his shrilly voice, one eye tugging higher than the other when he noticed the Control Brains did not respond automatically.

"-**We can not compute what you mean, Tallest Purple**.-"

"How do you know I have a broken chip? You saw Red's memories, so yeah- You know about my mood swings and what I've been doing wrong, but there was nothing about a broken chip. Over the past few months nothing was mentioned about there being a problem with a chip. You haven't asked me any questions about my health, haven't even checked up on me in years, and you haven't even looked into my Pak. No certain problem was ever mentioned. So, how do you know about a broken chip?"

"-**Tallest Purple, we are all knowing creations. We were created to**…-"

"That's not something you would just know and if you knew everything then you would have contacted me and fixed me months ago. _This_- This is something else. You're behind something; you're doing something to me... You're doing something to the entire Irken Empire. You know something that none of us know. And you know that I know that you know I know something is wrong with the Irken Empire."

"-**You are coming to false conclusions. Your facts are nothing but illusions; you are suffering from one of your constant mood swings. You are going into a stage of hysteria. Please, let us help you, Tallest Purple. All you need to do is open your Pak and we will repair the problem**.-"

His purple eyes caught the sight of a single wire slowly slithering towards the platform he was on.

"_**No**__._"

"-**Then we shall force your Pak open to fix the issue**.-"

And then all at once thousands of wires shot out towards Tallest Purple.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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_Hmm_- I felt my gay-dar go off a few times during this chapter.

**For those who do not like romance in a story**- I am not trying to make couples in this story… Right now. No promises, I may change my mind some way through, but unlikely. I want this to be my first story that has not 'set couples/obvious romance'; I may not win this fight though. I'm mushy like that. ;P

**For those who do like romance in a story**- If you put on your slash goggles and turn your head to the side you can probably find some sort of 'romance' and 'couple' every where. :D

Not as rushed- This story is getting to the acceptable level. ;P We are finally getting some where and don't worry, I promise all the questions you have will be answered when this story is finally finished! Whenever that may be. XD

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz! Have a fantastic day, everyone! :D

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	6. Trust Me

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**Yay! More author notes!** :D

I know this story seems like it's going to be short and rushed because of the fact that I'm throwing a lot of information into the first few chapters. _Pfft_- You _**wish **_this story was going to be short and rushed. I have A LOT planned for this story- It'll probably be the longest story I have. And the funny part about that sentence is the fact that I never thought I was going to go on after Chapter 1. :P

Thank you for all of the reviews, you guys! I love seeing reviews on every new chapter; it shows me what I am/am not doing right. Seriously, thank you guys so much, I love the fact that at least _**SOMEONE**_ is looking forward to reading a new chapter. ;P I didn't think that many people would read this story actually, it was just a random idea that I had at like- Five in the morning. XD So THANK YOU for the reviews and I hope that I keep seeing them often!

Or at least one every new chapter, I'm not picky. :P I just want to hear from you guys. :)

Also, going back to the romance thing I talked about last chapter- It's very unlikely that I'll place any real romance into this story. I support WAY too many Invader Zim couples to actually do a certain one, if you were your slash/straight/lovey-dovey goggles you'll see 'da love EVERY WHERE. ;P If any 'actual' romance is added into this story it will not interfere with any plotline at all, it will be so small that it'll be insignificant. No worries at all!

_Ew._ Another long author's note, I need to stop with these notes. Let me just begin!

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_**Trust Me**_

…

_**(Top Floor Of Where The Control Brains Are Located)**_

…

"-**Then we shall force your Pak open to fix the issue**.-"

That was all Tallest Purple heard before thousands of wires shot out towards him. His mind went completely blank, but physically he did the opposite of his mind. Spider legs came out from within his Pak, quickly jumping out of the way of the wires trying to grab hold of him. Two-fingered hands swiftly grasped the wires, breaking them in half within his hold. His mind was void of any thought, yet he knew what was happening… _Felt_ everything that was happening.

A wire cut across his cheek, he felt the liquid of his own blood trail down his face, and then he snapped the wire. Something slashed against his neck, not deep enough to worry about at that moment, so he snapped that wire, too. A wire grabbed the front of his hover belt and ripped it off, the Tallest falling out of mid-air, only lucky enough that his spider legs were already out. With a hiss of rage the alien grasped as many wires as he could and pulled them as hard as he could- Snapping those wires also.

The Irken didn't even realize how many wires he was snapping in a matter of moments and he didn't care at this point. His purple eyes never glanced at the piles of wires that were around him or the fact that his hover belt was shamelessly laying on the ground beside the wires. No. His sight was only set before himself, a glare sent to the Control Brains with his mouth in a determined, straight line.

"_**I'm not scared of you**_!"

"-**You should be**.-"

The Tallest had jumped off the platform as soon as he heard a siren go off.

Spider legs ran down the pole that was connected to the platform, Tallest Purple trying to ignore the fact that the ground was more than two hundred feet down. Zipper teeth gritted against each other to hold back the cry of pain as wires tried to grab a hold any where they could, ripping through skin and cloth when Purple kept tugging out of the hold. The Tallest knew that as soon as his spider legs had been gripped by some of the wires that this position was going to end badly.

The legs were tore out of his Pak was when the Tallest actually let a roar of pain escape from deep within his throat at the attack he received. Purple twisted his body around so he was facing upwards towards the wires that were heading towards him and his back towards the ground that was only twenty feet away. In mere seconds the Tallest had pulled a laser from his Pak, pointing it directly at the Control Brains. With a pull of the trigger the laser ripped through the wires until it reached up to the Control Brains, going through the platform and hitting one of the smaller brains.

A loud cry ripped through his throat as his body finally collided with the ground, vision blacking out for a few moments. His purple eyes snapped open when something slammed into the ground few away, body automatically flinging upwards to see what it was. It was one of the brains on the ground, wires shooting out from it to attack Tallest Purple. Before wires could reach the Irken a part of the platform fell on top of the brain. The Tallest instantly rolled away on his side as the objects exploded, the Irken already knowing that an explosion was going to happen.

When he lifted up his head all he saw was fire beginning to blaze, his neck twitching like it has done so many times over the course of the last few months. Bravery withered away into fear, his hands now not holding the laser properly, it was like… Like he had been a completely different Irken just moments ago, an Irken that was an expert in combat training. What had just happened?

What _was_ happening?

"_I have to get out of here_… _It wasn't supposed to happen like this_…"

…

_**(Inside Zim's Voot Cruiser)**_

…

"Hey, look!"

The Irken tilted his head sideways in annoyance at Dib's cry, about to hiss something nasty at the Earthling until he caught sight of what Dib was pointing towards. In the far distance there was the most prized and largest building on Irk's surface was letting an obnoxious siren blare away. The top of the building was blazing up in flames, the fire lighting up the dark sky of Irk. Zim's antennas were flat against the back of his head, harshly turning his wheel so the Voot Cruiser would fly towards the building.

"What is that building? And what's with that siren? Is Irk under attack?!"

"That building is the building that holds everything of Irk. Our past, our system, our rules, the planets that are within Irk's hold, our future plans, Pak information… That building is where the Control Brains are and that is supposed to be our most guarded building. The siren- The siren indicates that something important is under attacked, it is never used. The Control Brains, our planet, or the Tallests have been attacked."

The Irken's hands tightened around the wheel, knowing his hands were going to hurt later from all this flexing he was constantly doing today.

"Let the Tallests be safe."

"Are we going to check it out?"

"Of course we are, Dib-Stink! That is what an invader does! That is what any Irken would do! My Tallest could be in danger!"

With a nod Zim zoomed around a few buildings in his way, trying to reach the headquarters that held the Control Brains. The human frowned, letting a quiet sigh escape his lips. This wasn't what he thought they were going to do when they Irk, but some excitement might be good for them. He just hoped that no one was hurt… Maybe the siren was just a test and the fire was added in to make the test more exciting! That could happen!

Right?

… _Right_?

…

_**(Top Floor Of Where The Control Brains Are Located)**_

…

_Nothing was going right today_!

"Open, open, _**OPEN**_!"

Tallest Purple hissed loudly to himself, trying to unlock the coding that belonged to the large, metallic doors of the room. He could only do this task with one hand though because of the fact that wires were still trying to get a hold of him. His attention would first be on the door and then his attention would shift off towards the wires for he could get a good shot at them with his laser. The fire was coming up closely now, the floor heating up under his feet as smoke was creating a thick haze. There was no escape, if the door didn't open up soon Purple was going to die in the room. Whether it would be from the fire burning him like a marshmallow in a fire or the loss of blood from the wires cutting him open he didn't know, he knew that he was just going to die in this room though.

By some miracle the doors finally slid open, freedom coming to the Tallest at last.

Tallest Purple stumbled out of the room while gasping for air, not even hearing the Irkens before him gasping at the sight of their Tallest. He was covered in his own dark purple blood, clothes torn in many places and slash marks crossing all over his body. Before the Tallest could even relax for a moment he felt a wire grip a hold of his wrist, trying to tug him back into the room. He pulled himself out of the hold, sprinting through the smoke to get away from his attacker.

"_My Tallest_! Wait!"

"No! They're after me! _**They're after me**_!"

The gray eyed security guard twisted his head around to look into the room of the Control Brains, but not being able to see anything. There was just too much smoke to actually be able to see if there were any intruders in the room. Someone had some how slipped into the chamber and attacked Tallest Purple and the Control Brains during their meeting. The muscular Irken turned his attention back towards his team that was around him, only barley making out their features through the smoke.

"Nik and Slunter, go and get the Tallest! Make sure no harm comes to him! The rest of the team, move into the room to check on the Control Brains! Someone has snuck into the headquarters and attacked our Tallest! We need to infiltrate the enemy and capture them! Got it? Move out!"

Nik and Slunter headed towards the direction their Tallest went as the others moved into the room to check out the problem. What none of them knew was that the enemy they were searching for were the ones that they were checking up on to see if they were okay. Nik caught the sight of his Tallest turning down the corridor, the guard sprinting after his Tallest to make sure he was okay. Through the haze he tried to reach for his Tallest, only to be smacked across the face by Irken himself, tumbling onto his back from the force of the hit.

"Nik! Damnit, Nik! The Tallest was just attacked and you can barley see in here! You don't just go and grab him! He's in defense mode right now! He could have died in that chamber! Such an idiot, Nik!"

Slunter growled, tugging the smaller Irken off the ground by the collar of his uniform.

And how right Slunter was about the Tallest.

Tallest Purple whipped his head back and forth to scout the area all around him, antennas perked upwards to listen to all of the sounds around him. Their were cries of his name, footsteps running around in hundreds of directions looking for where he was, which only made the Tallest push himself farther up against wall. His antennas twitched when a new sound was heard, it was the sound of something heavy running… Clanking, the sound of sparks flaring... It almost sounded like…

"The Control Brains sent the new Advance Infiltrator Units after me! I have to get out of here!"

The Tallest bolted down the hallway to try and reach the door that was all the way at the end, if he could just reach the door and make it to the- His thoughts halted at the sight of a robot that was about six feet tall, a long staff within its' grasp. The robot was nearly as tall as him! The Irken symbol was plastered onto the unit's forehead in white lettering, the white easily seen on top of the unit's black coloring. At the sight of Tallest Purple the once light blue eyes of the unit flared to a deep scarlet, staff now sparking with electricity flowing through it. Purple was starting to regret ever approving the research for these units a few months ago. Well- At least the new AIR Units looked nice…

To bad the first ones ever created were going to be used on him!

Purple turned his head in hundreds of directions to find a way out other than the door at the end of the hallway. There was no way that he could defeat that thing! It was in duty mode! The unit stepped off one foot, then the other, until it broke out into a full on sprint towards Tallest Purple. _**Oh, no, no, no**_! There had to be a way out, this laser gun wasn't going to take out that unit before it got to him!

That's when purple eyes caught sight of a window that was only feet away from him.

Sprinting unit, window, sprinting unit, window, twitch in his neck, sprinting unit…

The window it is.

…

_**(Inside Zim's Voot Cruiser)**_

…

"Do you see anything?"

"Other than the fire? No, nothing. I can't see into the building. We're still to far away and there is way to much smoke."

"Tell Zim whenever you see something out of the ordinary, Dib-Stink. There must be a way to figure out what's happening inside the building. If we just-"

Words quickly died on the tip of his tongue when the sound of shattering glass broke out through the area, louder than any of the sirens going off. Magenta eyes widened when through the falling glass he caught his Tallest within the mist of the broken mess, arms shielding his face. With a rough twist the Voot Cruiser was headed directly towards the Tallest that was rapidly declining towards the ground far below. There was no way the Tallest would survive a fall as deadly as that. If he some how miraculously lived through his broken bones he wouldn't live through his Pak being shattered to pieces.

They needed to make it to him.

"Dib! Open!"

They would make it to him.

The human did as he was told; pressing a couple of buttons for the roof of the Voot Cruiser would up open in order to catch the falling Irken. Rough wind instantly blew into their faces, the Irken paying no mind as his flexing body leaned over the wheel, calculations running through his mind. The Tallest was plummeting to the ground faster than the Voot Cruiser was going; at this rate they weren't going to be able to catch him with the ship. Zim did not come all the way to Irk just to see his Tallest get squashed all over the ground of Irk!

"We're not going to make it time, Zim! He's just too far away and the ship is going as fast as it can! Is there anything else we can do?!"

"Yes. Filthy meatbag- Wheel."

"Zim?!"

"Disgusting human, I said wheel!"

"What are you going to do?!"

"Trust Zim."

The Irken pulled himself up onto the edge of the Voot Cruiser, standing tall and proud, not even showing fear at the intense speed the ship was traveling. The teenager instantly went for the wheel, passing the alien a worried glance as he kept the course directly towards the Tallest descending to the ground. Dib didn't see a single ounce of fear on Zim's face as the Irken stood on the edge, daring to challenge gravity itself.

"I'm coming, my Tallest!"

A split second later Zim was gone for the side of the ship with one fleeting thought-

'_I bet Gir is having a better time_.'

…

_**(Back on Earth, Inside Zim's Home)**_

…

"No."

Gir kept just staring at her.

"No- No!"

The happy facial features didn't change by a single centimeter.

"Gir- I said **no**!"

Not even a single blink.

"_**Grr**_- **Fine**!"

"_Yay_!"

The little unit giggled insanely, placing the fedora on top of Gaz's head. Across the room there was a chicken wearing a sombrero that was pecking at the couch. By the chicken there was a beaver wearing a top hat an every time he sneezed lasers would shoot out from his nostrils. Across from the table where Gaz was at was one of Zim's greatest enemies, Tak. The Irken was stirring a cup of Irken tea with one of Zim's spoons, her dark purple eyes glancing upwards to gaze at Gaz. The gothic teenager instantly tugged an eyebrow upwards, snickering at the stupid sunhat Tak was made to wear.

"So… What exactly is… '_This_'?"

"Gir is apparently throwing a '_Hat Party_' and invited a bunch of people, all but Dib. Something about Dib not being invited because he's supposed to be left in '_uninvited pain_' or something along the lines. I don't know- I just came for the free pizza and to see if my brother was here. So, why are you here? Still aren't over your revenge issues with Zim?"

"Yes, I had come to attack Zim; I guess he's not here also. Gir pulled me inside and told me that I was invited to this… '_Hat Party_'. It's not like I have anything else to do but wait here. Do you always invade Zim's house like this?"

"Do you?"

"Touché."

"Besides, Zim's used to it. I'm always in his base."

"Lovers are you?"

"Disgusting. Close friends."

"_Close_ friends?"

"Friends."

"Friends?"

"Acquaintances."

"Acquaintances?"

"Enemies. I just borrow his place."

"_Ah_- Of course."

The two stayed silent, ignoring Gir's screaming as the beaver with laser eyes began attacking him, trying to pull him arm off.

"So… Have you ever played Game Slave?"

…

_**(Back On Irk, Falling Towards Irk, Tallest Purple)**_

…

"I'm coming, my Tallest!"

After the cry a shock of pain shot through the Tallest's Pak once more.

Purple's antennas perked up at the sound of the familiar voice calling to him, removing his arms from his face to see who was calling him. As soon as his arms were out from his view he let a shrill cry leave his mouth, no longer looking for the person who called him. He was going to die! _**Die, die, die**_! This was his dumbest idea ever! Why did he jump out of the window when he had no way of protecting himself?! Irkens couldn't fly! His Pak was no longer equipped with a jet anymore! No hover belt! This was bad, so very bad!

His purple eyes turned upwards towards the direction that the voice had called him from, hoping that this Irken had something to save him with. A rather tall Irken clad in an invader uniform was heading towards him, arms pressed against his sides so he could flow more smoothly to his Tallest. A determined look was across the invader's face, not even showing a single ounce of worry that he was plummeting towards the ground with his Tallest. It was difficult to really see his face though, he was still to far away to actually get a proper look at him.

"Hold on, my Tallest!"

'_His voice_…'

A memory from years ago came back to Tallest Purple, reminding him of the voice he used to hear so often.

"-_Hey! Hey! My Tallest! Muh-my... my Tall... Hey, my Tallest! It's me! Look at me! My Tallest! My Tallest! My Tallest!"_

"_I was curious to see when you'd shut up on your own. But it's been __three__ hours now, Zim. __Three hours! __So, what is it_?"

The pair of purple eyes finally made eye contact with the magenta eyes of the invader, blinking once, and then twice.

That's when horrible realization finally struck him.

"_**ZIM**_?!"

As soon as the name left his lips all the air was knocked out of him, being tackled in mid-air by the defect known as Zim. Arms tightly wrapping around the mid-drift of his Tallest as his spider legs popped out from behind his back, the 'invader' made sure to protect his Tallest from the blow about to happen. Spider legs finally connected with the side of the building, the screeching of metal against metal obnoxiously going through the air, both of their antennas hurting from the sound. Zim left one arm slip from his Tallest's waist to grab the edge of the building, the two no longer falling through the air and now perfectly still.

"_Ehh_- My Tallest, you can stop screaming now. You are no longer falling."

Had he been screaming the entire time?

Oh. That's why his throat hurt.

Well.

"_THAT'S_ not why I was screaming! Why are you here, Zim?! This isn't Earth, you idiot! What? Take a wrong turn at an asteroid or something? This is Irk! Irk, Zim! You shouldn't be here! How did you just fall out of the sky like that? Huh? What? Got some sort of weird Tallest stalking device on you or something?!"

Zim tried to hold back an exasperated sigh as his Tallest had begun his rant, using his spider legs to try and climb up the wall. With his free hand the Irken waved over at the ship Dib was currently controlling, the human make a complete U-turn through a couple of buildings to fly over to them.

"I could have been saved by any other Irken and it had to be- _**Ugh**_! Go through this horrible day just to get saved by you! I mean, it's not like some other Irken-"

"_My Tallest_-"

"I can't believe I had to deal with this sort of treatment! Everyone is insane and you are just the-"

"My Tallest-"

"You have this weird way of always finding us! I should have never called you months ago, Zim! We were just getting to that stage where you started calling less and-"

"Tallest Purple!"

"_**WHAT**_?!"

"What in Irk's name is that?!"

With a snarl the Tallest tilted his head upwards to see what Zim was pointing at, only to have his mouth fall open in shock. The AIR Unit that Purple had escaped from in the headquarters was leaning out from the window he had jumped out of moments ago. The unit slammed the staff against the wall and in mere seconds the staff shortened by almost a foot and changed shape entirely. Even if the unit was over a hundred feet away the two Irkens could tell that it now had a laser gun within its' grasp, pointing it directly at them.

"Do something!"

"Yes, my Tallest!"

Still holding onto his Tallest, Zim retracted his spider legs, letting them plummet back towards the ground.

He couldn't hide the wicked grin that dared to spread across his face as his Tallest started up with his girly screaming again.

…

_**(A Few Miles Away. At The Smeet Academy)**_

…

"And the training program hasn't any problems lately?"

"Of course not, my Tallest. Everything had been according to plan. Every single smeet has passed the training program and the process. We have noticed that some of our Battle Optics data about the rays and the holographic disguises has been tampered with though. Our coding and data has been sent to another facility that we can not locate, it seems-"

"_Tallest Red_! _Commander_!"

Both Commander Sic and Tallest Red whipped their heads around towards the voice that had cried out to them, their antennas flattening against their heads. There was an Elite member rushing off towards them, waving his hands frantically in the air. Red left an annoyed sigh escape his lips, he didn't need to wave his hands, it's not like they were deaf or something. The Elite member tugged the red mask off the bottom of his face, showing the two the deep frown crossing his features.

"What is it?"

"It's Tallest Purple."

That's when the sound of a blaring siren was heard all through out the academy.

"What happened?!"

Red yelled out, the Tallest hovering as fast as he could down towards the front doors a few floors down as the other two Irkens kept directly on his heels.

"The situation is still uncertain, my Tallest. It seems some how someone got into the meeting with the Control Brains and Tallest Purple. They were attacked, it was reported that one of the brains has been destroyed in the process of the fight. A fire has broken out through the headquarters and we have security trying to put that out to save the Control Brains. Both Elite members and invaders that weren't sent off to a planet yet are searching for Tallest Purple. There has been no sign of him reported though."

"What?! No sight of him?! What about the new robot-unit-thingy?!"

"One of the AIR Units has been sent out to find Tallest Purple, sir, but only one. We only have that one you requested working properly and its primary function has been placed into its coding. It will protect Tallest Purple and follow his orders in any way possible. It won't stop till it finds and obtains the Tallest."

"Good. At least_ something_ went right."

The Tallest bitterly hissed, turning down another hallway to hurry to his destination, Irken curse words escaping his lips every few moments. This wasn't supposed to happen! The Control Brains said they could fix Purple and turn him back to normal! Who would dare to attack a Tallest and the Control Brains during a meeting? Someone more idiotic than Zim, that's who. Also some more deadly. The attacker also destroyed one of the Control Brains, but which one? And why?

_Why_?

The Irken Empire was known to have many enemies, but none so moronic enough to actually step foot on Irk. How dare they attack Irk itself! The only saving grace was that one of the new AIR Units was sent after Purple; maybe the unit could find him. Apparently everyone else was too stupid to find the Tallest. How could you not find someone as tall as Purple?! Come on now! The first AIR Unit was actually going to be a gift for Tallest Purple and was going to be presented to him on the Massive. Purple always made comments about how the Tallests didn't get to have a robot, yet "Little stupid Irkens get to have those cute robots! It's not fair, Red! I wanna robot!"

Leave it to Purple to get his gifts earlier than he should.

Tallest Red slammed the twin doors of the academy open to look out to see what was happening to Irk, the Commander and Elite member right behind him.

"_Oh, Tallest Spork_."

This was not good.

…

_**(Zim's Voot Cruiser)**_

…

Dib never had a moment that he both loved and hated more in his entire life.

Adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he sharply turned the wheel, dodging through the thin space between two buildings. Flying this Voot Cruiser was a feeling that he never had before, the wind pushing up against his face bringing up emotions he never felt before. He felt so proud of himself, brave, and _wild_- And yet he couldn't relish in these feelings. It was hard to look at the positive emotions when your friend and his leader were plummeting to their deaths.

Then again… Zim was also his greatest enemy. Should he save him? Dib could always turn the Voot Cruiser around and head back for Earth, knowing that with Zim dead no one would take over Earth. Would the Irkens come after Dib though since he let both an invader and a Tallest fall to their death? Would they even know that he was there? So many choices, which on should be make? The choice to save his friend or the choice to let his enemy die?

"Hurry up, Dib-Stink! The almighty ZIM commands you!"

Guess the decision was made for him.

With a rough turn of the wheel Dib flew the Voot Cruiser directly under the two falling Irkens, both of them grunting as they landed in the ship. The paranormal investigator would have been gasping and crying out in glee at the fact that Zim's leader was right by his side, but lasers hitting their ship were distracting him. Through the top of his glasses the Earthling found the object that was shooting at the Voot Cruiser, already placing up the roof so the lasers would just bounce off the ship. What was that thing? Was that another Irken robot?! It looks like Gir! A really big, dark, and kinda scary Gir, but Gir none the less.

"_**What is that**_?! _OhMyGodOhMyGod- ItLooksSoCool! IWantOneIWantOne! IHaveToHaveTheDesign_-"

"Is he okay?"

"Sadly, yes. Dib-Stink is overly excited to be on our planet is all, my Tallest."

"OUR planet? Zim you're not apart of- Nevermind. Yeah, whatever. At least one of us in this ship is happy to be on Irk. What is this ship, anyway? It doesn't look like a Voot-"

His words halted right in the middle of his sentence when the ship was thrown a few feet down, the Tallest grunting as the top of his head hit the roof. Stupid little ship, he had to lean over in order to fit! How ridiculous, a _Tallest_ making himself smaller! His bitter rant ended in his mind when his shrill screams started up once more, purple eyes connecting with a pair of glowing scarlet directly above. The AIR Unit smashed his fist against the window, a few cracks forming from the impact of the hit. Dib let a surprised cry leave his lips as Zim pushed himself up against the glass like holding himself against it would help stop the impact from the unit's hits.

"Do something! There has to be something you can do, I can't go out like this! I-"

Zim visibly flinched when he caught the twitch his Tallest shuddered, two fingered hands flexing while purple eyes tightly closed together. He hadn't even realized how much his Tallest was bleeding; there were parts of his purple robes that were soaked with his own blood. His body was tense, dark purple blood staining the right side of his face. Guilt was rising in his chest- Blah, _guilt_; it was such a useless and disgusting emotion-At the state his Tallest was in. He should have realized how much this situation was taking out on his Tallest! He was no invader; Purple was probably going to pass out right now and-

"Get out of my way- _**Now**_!"

"Yes, my Tallest!"

Or he was going to open his eyes real quickly and shout out a command to scare the living daylights out of Dib and Zim. The Earthling sat there baffled until a two finger hand pushed him out of the way of the wheel, Dib grunting loudly as he fell over the back of the seat and landed in the storage area. At least the bags of food broke his fall, well, sort of broke his fall. He had chips poking him in areas that he did _not _want to be poked in. Both were too stunned to do anything else as Tallest Purple took the wheel within his grasp, a sneer crossing his face at the fact Zim still had his body pressed against the window.

"Move, Zim! It's about to get ugly right where you're at!"

"As ugly as the Gleekashore race, my Tallest?"

"_Much_ uglier."

It was only Dib who noticed the unsure expression on Zim's face, his own face looking shocked when he saw Zim mouth to himself "_It was a pleasure for the almighty Zim to serve the Irken Empire_". Purple eyes meet the pair of scarlet eyes once more, the unit lifting up his hand to throw the final blow into the glass to obtain his Tallest from within the ship. A wicked grin spread across the bloody face of the Tallest as his fingers quickly ran over the panel to the dash board, tilting his chin up in defiance. The unit's head turned a few inches to the side at the movement, fist staying in mid-air as it tried to comprehend what the Tallest had just pressed. A seatbelt automatically buckled Purple into the driver's seat, hands firmly gripping the wheel, grin never leaving his face a single moment.

The Voot Cruiser flipped upside down without a single warning.

"What the- _**OW**_!"

Dib cried out when his body slammed into what was the roof of the Voot Cruiser, almost getting sick when it felt like his stomach went to his throat. Zim gave out his own shocked cry when he flipped upside down, but when he landed on something that grunted in pain a mocking laugh left him. He pointed his index finger at Dib's face condescendingly, but the moment didn't last long when the ship re-flipped over into its original position. When the Earthling landed on top of the Irken it was his turn to laugh, sticking his tongue out at his enemy. When the ship kept constantly flipping over was when the two stopped their petty game and had begun screaming. The Tallest hissed in annoyance, trying to shake the unit off their ship with no luck.

"Will you two shut up?! I'm busy up here!"

Zim would have saluted his Tallest and agreed with his command if he didn't have Dib's elbow shoved into his mouth at the moment, both of them in an incredibly painful position. Purple let the snarl overtake his features when he saw the unit still attached to the ship, claws dug through the metal lining of the Voot Cruiser's lining. With a spin of his wrists the wheel followed the movement, suddenly dragging the unit against the side of one of the many buildings around them. The screeching of metal made his antennas flatten against the back of his head, but he never broke eye contact with the unit.

Suddenly scarlet was out of his vision, no longer making eye contact with the unit.

Before a sigh of relief could even leave his mouth a cry erupted from deep within his chest, vision fading in and out from the complete agony. He couldn't think… He couldn't even breathe… This was unlike anything he had ever felt before, it was like someone was grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him into two pieces. This was putting to much strain on his body, _oh_, by Tallest Miyuki- He wasn't going to make it. He couldn't hear any sounds at all, he knew that he was screaming as loud as he could from how raw his throat felt, but he couldn't hear himself.

He couldn't hear a single sound and his eyes refused to open, he was completely useless in this situation.

"_My_- Yes, my Tallest, but Zim does not- Yes, my Tallest, but- _Tallest Purple, just let Zim! _…Yes, my Tallest, an invader follows every order his Tallest gives. _**No matter what**_."

What in Irk's name was Zim going on about? He hadn't said anything to-

Before he could finish the rest of his thought, Tallest Purple was out cold.

…

_**(Hours Later, Planet Irk)**_

…

"_I_- No, my Tallest, truthfully the situation is not under control. None of this is under control. Irk was- _Is_ not prepared for something like this."

Tallest Red said nothing as his advisor turned her head to the side, trying to hide the fact that her eyes were becoming blurry from holding back the tears. He didn't even blink as his red eyes kept staring lifelessly at the building that once held the Control Brains. The top of the building was completely burnt down by at least three floors, a security team currently work on seeing if there were any alive Irkens still left in those floors. Also to see if the Control Brains were still responsive. If the Control Brains were gone… All of their history, all of their Pak information, trials and justification laws gone… All of Irk's everything would be gone. Their birthing simulators were no longer active, it was the Control Brains who knew when a smeet was and wasn't ready to be born. The Control Brains were the ones who had all of the Pak information.

_They had everything_.

No one around Tallest Red even realized that he was slowly breaking. The expression on his face was hard as stone, and just as cold. The outer shell was nothing though compared to the internal conflict that was raging all through out him. His shell was slowly chipping away piece by piece, having no idea just how to fully deal with this situation. Their new advisor was right- Irk wasn't… Isn't prepared for something like this. This was something they had never predicted in hundreds of years.

"It has now been officially reported that the left brain was destroyed in the attack."

Another piece was chipped off.

"This attack… My Tallest Red, there was no way someone from a different planet did this attack, they had no way to set up an attack like this. You set the meeting with the Control Brains only in a short amount of time, even if…"

'_Don't say it_…'

_Crack_.

"_Even_- Even if another planet found out, _they_… They do not possess a fast enough ship to get here in such a short amount of time. There is no planet around Irk that could come in such a short amount of time. _My_- _My Tallest_…"

'_Please, you can't break down too. One of us needs to be strong. __**Please**__…_'

_Crunch_.

"It was _another_… A_ fellow_… _It_… Must have been an _Irken_ was the one who did this."

_Snap_.

"There is also no sign of Tallest Purple, sir, we can't find him. _He's…"_

'_Don't you dare say it! I beg you…'_

"_He's gone._"

_Shatter._

"_I_… I need your commands; Tallest Red- It is up to you right now, my Tallest."

_**Crash**_.

Every ounce of strength the Tallest had felt crashed into the pit of his squeedily spooch, non-blinking eyes just staring at the building before him. There were screams of anguish and sorrow all around him, the obnoxious siren still going off to alert all the Irkens of what has happened, and yet none of that mattered to Tallest Red at the moment. The Irken Empire- _His _Empire was now nearly in ruins over this entire situation. The AIR Unit could no be located; the Control Brains were no longer functioning, and his best friend was gone. Not like when to Foodcourtia gone, but _gone_. His best friend was _gone_. Everything was a complete mess and this would have never happened if he hadn't set up the-

This would have never happened if Purple had just told him what was wrong!

Everything that had shattered suddenly didn't matter anymore- _He_ didn't matter anymore.

"Have our best scientists and engineers come to Irk as soon as possible. I don't care what they're doing right now or what planet they're on, their home planet needs them. Have them split off into teams based on what their skills are in. Have some work on restoring the smeet facilities and to see if they can find a way to re-code the Pak systems- We have to find a way to keep birthing the smeets; if they are left in the tubes to long it will be impossible to activate them. We can't let this happen. Find a small team to find out where that AIR Unit went and contact the creator of the unit. I think the unit will be able to detect where Tallest Purple is and who did this. If the unit already hasn't already done that yet.

Another team will work on the Control Brains to see if we can repair them. We need to see if we can at least save one of the brains, we already lost one completely. If we can't repair them, then they have to find a way to gather as much data as they can from the Control Brains. The Control Brains had all of the coding that we need- They had everything that dealt with Irk. We need the best working on this project, put every single Irken you think will do their best on this team.

Have the last team rebuild everything else that needs fixed. Machines that are no longer working because they are no longer connected to the Control Brains, the headquarters that contained most of our information, and everything else you believe needs repaired. Have security up to the maximum now that this has happened. I want at least one security stationed in every single building in Irk. Find some sort of monitor that can show us what exactly happened with Tallest Purple. There has to be something that can show us what exactly happened today.

Contact every single invader and elite member and have them on a look out for Tallest Purple. Tell Commander Sic to inform those in alliance with the Irken Empire about Tallest Purple and the situation that has gone on. Let the elite members graduate from their process early if Commander Hid only wants invaders to do the searches, have them become invaders. We will need every single invader out to find Tallest Purple. We will invade every single planet in the universe if we have to. Leave no corner un-checked, leave no can un-lid, leave not a single speck of dust- No matter what it takes, we will find Tallest Purple.

_**The enemy will rue the day that he ever dared to attack Irk**_**.**"

With that, he turned away from the scene, leaving through smoke like an invader on a mission.

He didn't have time to break down. He had to find who did this mess and kill them with his bare hands for the crimes they had committed. He had to find a way to fix the Control Brains and have them running again. He had to find a way to operate the smeet facilities without the Pak data or anything else to help them. He had to figure out just where exactly Tallest Purple was and save him. He had to turn everything back to normal- He had to make it seem like this entire day never happened.

He had the entire Irken Empire to fix.

Why?

Because he wasn't _Red_, Purple's best friend who loved joking around and messing with anyone he could.

No.

He was _Tallest Red_, the ruler of the greatest and most powerful empire ever known to exist.

The Irken Empire.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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_Ohh_- Action. I love it.

Please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day, you guys! :D

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	7. Ta-Ta-Ta

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Hey, guys! Thanks for the reviews once more, I really do appreciate them! :D I know it's been a while since I've updated, so sorry. This chapter is going to seem kinda weird; it's another one of those filler chapters since I have come down with the Head Pigeons. ;P

_Annnnddd_- That's it for once.

So, let me start.

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_**Ta-Ta-Ta...**_

…

_**(On Irk, Smeet Facility)**_

…

"Yes, my Tallest, everything is in-"

"Have I been acting any differently?"

The pair of purple eyes slowly blinked once, and then twice, until he turned his gaze away from the window to gaze over at his Tallest. Her blue eyes connected with his own eyes as he tilted his neck backwards to look at her, concern marking all over her lovely features. She was about eight inches taller than him, looking much taller than that because of the fact that she was hovering in mid-air. Nervously the shorter Irken tugged at his Elite uniform, suddenly feeling like the dark purple clothing was constricting against his body.

"I- I have no idea what you mean, my-"

"Please, Purple, I want you to tell me the truth. That is all I ask."

His eyes met hers once more before snapping his head to the side, the Elite member by the name of Purple looking back out through the window. Behind the window there were smeets running around the room, some giggling, some playing games, and others just being destructive as can be. They were cute though, even if they were crazy. Well, they weren't really crazy, were they? No, not crazy at all, just young is all.

_Not crazy_.

"Yes, Tallest Miyuki, you have been acting differently. You… _Uhh_… You just aren't the same. You have been acting a bit weird, kinda edgy, mood swings, and such. It's not bad though, my Tallest! There are some Irkens who think-"

"Do you think something is wrong with the Irken Empire?"

His ranting ended when her smooth voice interrupted him, rambling words halting when he noticed the tone of her voice. She had said the words so quietly, they had not been said in a whisper, but she had not really spoken the words. It… He didn't know what 'it' was, but it was something. Purple never turned his head form the view as he noticed his companion tossing a smeet up into the air, catching the little guy before he would hit the ground. His best friend went by the name of Red, he was an Irken that was the exact same height as him and was an Elite member along with him. They were close, there was no part missing in their perfect friendship.

_Missing part_.

"I don't know! I- I mean, I'm sorry, my Tallest, I shouldn't have-"

"Stop apologizing, you're just speaking your mind is all. That is all I want… All I could ever want."

"Me to speak my mind?"

"The truth of what is on everyone's mind."

"If I may speak my mind, Tallest Miyuki, can I ask a question?"

"You may ask a question. Proceed."

"What exactly has been on your mind lately?"

"On my mind lately?"

She inquired back, beautiful blue eyes never slipping away from the view before her. By Red's side was an Irken who was about five inches taller than Red and him, three inches shorter than Miyuki. By his body movement the taller Irken was clearly laughing as smeets were crawling all over him, yellow, beady eyes shinning with happiness. There was so much joy coming from that room that Purple couldn't help but let a smile tug at his lips, turning his head to look at his Tallest. The smile faded away when he caught the worried expression, the tips of her fingers running over his forehead. Over the Irken Symbol that was painted onto his forehead.

_The Irken Symbol_.

"The future has been on my mind lately, Purple."

"Is something the matter, Tallest Miyuki?"

"Only everything in my thoughts."

_Her thoughts_.

"_**My Tallest? MY TALLEST**_!"

The smeet facility was gone.

…

_**(Tallest Purple, Inside Zim's Base, Lowest Level)**_

…

His eyes shot open only mere seconds later.

Tallest Purple's body shot forward, two fingered hands gripping his face as he took in large intakes of air, letting his eyes slip shut for a few moments. Miyuki, oh, by the past Tallest… Miyuki. Beautiful, sweet, and innocent Miyuki. His squeedily spooch twisted with desperation as he remembered the Tallest that had once been, feeling sick at the dream he had just had. No, not a dream- A memory. A memory that he had forgotten so long ago. The problem was that he couldn't really remember anything else about Miyuki, that was the only memory he had of her. Why was she in his head now? Why after all this time?

Wait… Those words, there were key words that he remembered from the memory… Why just those words?

"My Tallest, do not be angry at Zim! I-"

"Zim, give me a panel to type on this instant. I have to type something down."

When Purple let his eyes open there was a floating screen before him.

He didn't even glance around at his surroundings, finger tips smoothly going across the screen to spell out words in Irken that he remembered from his dream. Ugh, not dream, memory. It had been a memory of Miyuki, the only memory he had of her. It was strange, he couldn't think of any other memory of her other than that one… Crazy. This was all crazy.

No, not crazy. That was in his memory, the words that still haunted his mind. _Not crazy_.

Something was missing from all this, part of the memory that still needed the other pieces. _Missing part_.

She had run her finger tips over the Irken Symbol like it had been some sort of cruel sign. _The Irken Symbol. _

She had said that there was something wrong, but only everything in her thoughts. _Her thoughts_.

As soon as his fingers completed the task his neck twitched sideways, eyes slipping shut for a few moments to take in the pain. Worry shifted to annoyance, calm to anger, and all of his emotions just switching in general. By the past Tallest- He was so sick of this. He shouldn't feel like two Irkens when he was just only one.

"Hey, excuse me, _uhh_- Really tall Irken guy… Tallest Purple, right?"

"Yeah? Who wants to know?"

The Tallest Irken grumbled, eyes lifting upwards to glance at the nervous voice addressing him. It only took a matter of moments to realize that the voice belonged to the Earthling named Dib. He never actually knew Dib, he only remembered a couple of times when the human had contacted the Massive to get the 'horrible alien secrets that they were hiding'. He was taller, clothing different, and features more defined now that he was reaching adulthood- But he was still Dib. The little weird-o that tried, and succeeded, to foil all of Zim's plans to take over their little ugly world.

_Pfft_- That wasn't hard to do when Zim was the one you were fighting against though.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to bother you or anything, I just... Can you move? You took a really rough beating and I just want to make sure everything is alright. You still have some blood on your face, so I just want to help you is all."

"Huh? Oh yeah, huh- I _am_ in pain. A lot of it. A huge amount of pain. Like I can't even believe I just realized how much pain I'm in. Weird. What in Irk's name happened?"

"You don't remember?!"

"No. I just asked that for fun."

Purple hissed, using his arms to try and push himself off the metallic table he was on only to collapse under his own weight. His teeth grit together, purple eyes glancing over his body to see what the problem was. A lump formed in his throat when we saw all the tears and dark purple marks all over his Tallest robes- Was that _**HIS**_ own blood?! Remembering that the Earthling had said something about his face his finger tips reached upwards to tug across it, only to feel that his skin felt rough. It was _his _blood! What did they do to him?!

"_**What did you do to me**_?!"

"_W-What_?! I never did anything to you! There was this really cool robot that attacked us in the ship and you were piloting the ship really well! It was like you had done it hundreds of times before! You jumped out of a window; Zim went after you when you jumped out of it! He saved you! There was glass every where, lasers, and-"

"And you're crazy! I don't remember any of that even happening!"

"Though Zim despises disgusting, pathetic Dibling, he is right. My Tallest, what he says is the truth, though the almighty Zim could have told you the details much better!"

"Zim?"

Anger faded to confusion, pushing himself upwards once more to try and find the defect that he knew so well. Metallic walls loomed over them, the laboratory rather dimmed by the eerie red lighting, Purple getting a slight headache from all the colors flashing around him from all the different screens. The Tallest snapped his teeth at Dib when the Earthling tried to reach a rag towards his face, a girly cry escaping from the human. A few seconds later he bared his own teeth back at the Irken, keeping the rag only a few inches from his face.

"I just want to get the blood off your face to see what needs wrapped up is all. The rag has some concoction that Zim created up since I can't use water to wipe it off. Let me help you. Please?"

"_Grr_- _**Fine**_. Only because it's an honor of someone your species to help out a ruler like me."

That wasn't entirely true; the Tallest was letting him do this simply because he didn't have enough strength to do it himself. It still wasn't a lie though, it was an honor for someone of his rank to look at a Tallest, let alone even touch him. With an exasperated sigh Dib began his work, trying to wipe off the dried purple blood as softly as he could without bringing any harm. He was also going to stuff this rag away inside his jacket when no one was looking; this was alien DNA after all. The alien narrowed his eyes when brown eyes meet his in a gaze, a sneer crossing over his lips.

"Let's say I believe you. Let's say you aren't crazy, which you clearly are, and say all of this did happen. Why would I jump out of a window?"

"Probably to get away from the crazy robot that was trying to kill you, my Tallest. Or the fire that blew up the National Headquarters belonging to the Control Brains. Maybe there was a beaver behind you, those are pretty scary. Especially when they eat lasers!"

"… Beaver? Zim, what in Irk's name- Wait, what? Kill me?! The Control Brains blew up?! _How… What… Who…_? Zim, you better get out here _**RIGHT NOW**_!"

"Anything for my Tallest!"

Purple caught the sight of Dib flinching when a loud slam was heard, mumbling under his lips something about '_that ladder falling on him is going to leave a mark_' or whatever. The Tallest kept his arms crossed over his chest, one eye tugging higher than the other when the sound of glass breaking was heard. Dib opened his mouth to say something till Zim cried out, followed by something else crashing against the ground. He tilted his head over his shoulder to see what the commotion was about, only to have everything in his body go completely numb at the sight.

"Ta… Ta… _Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta_…"

"Eh? What is it, Tallest Purple? What are you trying to say? Taking over the world? Tacos?"

"_Ta_- _Ta_…"

"Yup. It's tacos."

Burning building, one of the brains had been destroyed, an advanced robot in duty mood, lasers, no smoke machines… Pushing a security guard away, piloting a ship, and he had jumped out the window… He had been saved by an Irken clad in the invader uniform that seemed small for him. Really small for him. He knew that invader, he had cried out this invader's name, and he was so _ta_…

_Oh no- No, no, no_…

"My Tallest?"

"_Ta… Ta… You're_…"

"Zim, the Tallest's blood pressure is increasing at an extreme rate; his body won't be able to handle this for long. With all of his current injuries and without having been able to give him a blood transfusion yet he will faint in a matter of moments. He's in no condition for this."

The computer voice spoke up, though the Tallest hadn't heard a single word.

"Tallest Purple… My Tallest, Zim begs you to remain calm, if you so much as-"

"_**Tall**_."

And in the next moment the Tallest was sprawled out on the table, fainting right on the spot.

…

_**(Back on Irk)**_

…

"… No, look at the position of his arms. See how they are crossed over his face? That means he had time to shield his face, meaning that he chose to jump out the window. Jumping out of the window was his only escape, but escape from what? What in Irk would-?"

"Hey, what's that?"

Commander Sic grumbled, ignoring the glare from Advisor Gig over the fact that he had interrupted her sentence. Tallest Red leaned out of his hovering chair to get a closer look at the screen, all three Irkens not caring that their cheeks were pressing against each together to look at the screen closely. The image on the screen showed Tallest Purple falling through the air, his mouth opened wide in a screaming motion. Only about fifty feet away from the Tallest was a tall Irken with his arms pressed against his sides, speeding through the air like a bullet to reach towards his Tallest.

Purple had opened his mouth at the sight of the tall Irken and screamed something, a look of terror crossing his face at the sight of him. Or was that a shocked expression? Whatever emotion it was it clearly wasn't a happy one. Red flexed his grip on his chair only to relax when the Irken had wrapped his arms around Purple, ejecting his spider legs to save his Tallest. There were many obvious things about the citizen that had saved Purple. Antennas showed that he was a male, eyes were the common magenta color, and by his clothing style he was ranked as an invader.

That was impossible though. How could he be an invader when he was so…?

"Sic, do you know who that is?"

"No, my Tallest, he looks unfamiliar. Check out his clothes. They don't fit him and they are kinda worn out. That means he's probably had them for a long time, years most likely. What I don't understand is why he's still wearing those clothes. There is no way that his rank is invader; he's way too tall to be an invader. What sort of tall Irken would be placed as invader?"

Red's antennas slightly went backwards in annoyance as he bit his tongue, thankful that the Commander was only making these comments before Gig and him. It was no secret that tall Irkens were never invaders, they weren't really allowed to be, it would be a waste to put a tall Irken on the frontline. Why put someone mighty like that in the middle of a battle when you had someone short? This topic was never directly pointed out though; it was almost taboo to point that out. It wasn't as bad as the topic of suicide, but it was at the top of the list of things Red usually would never let Irkens speak about.

It was a well known fact that taller Irkens were indeed better than all the short Irkens. The point of the fact that the shorter Irkens were giving their lives for taller Irkens didn't need to be pointed out though. There were those defects that may have different ideas about their system and take it in their hands to mess around with how things worked. That's why Purple and him were there, to make sure everything stayed in order.

_Oh, Pur…_

"Yes, exactly, he shouldn't be that rank. He looks really tall, extremely tall. He looks tall enough to be your advisor, if not your Personal Advisor, Tallest Red."

Advisor Gig seemed to have paled to a new shade of light green, though didn't say a single word to the Commander about his sentence. What could she say? It was true.

"Personal Advisor would be a waste of position for him. Have you two not been watching this? Did you not watch as he sped through the air to save Purple even though he might not have made it out alive himself? Every move that he does is perfection; it's like he knew what was going to happen before it happened. He didn't even blink an eye when he retracted his spider legs and let them fall towards the ground. Not a single inch of fear showed on his face through the entire situation. That determination on his face is worth all the monies in Irk. _**He's a weapon**_."

Most Irkens would have thought that what the Tallest said had been compliments. And they had been- Just not happy ones. Was Tallest Red impressed? No doubt that he was beyond belief. He wasn't happy about the situation though. This Irken had come out of no where to jump out of a Voot Cruiser, save Tallest Purple, defeat the unit, and go off with the Tallest. Who had been the one piloting the Voot Cruiser when the invader had been going through that situation? Why was he there at the perfect moment? What were his intentions with the Tallest?

Where had he taken Purple?

"You two better give me something helpful now or I'll remove your Paks with my bare hands!"

"I looked up the history of what was happening on Irk that day. Officer Torkan of Unit 67, Sector 89, and coding data of 876534.05 had a large grouping of invaders come to Irk on that day. He had them there to go over the Battle Optics we have been discussing and to check over their Voot Cruisers to make sure they were ready for invading. We have the list of every single invader who had come onto the planet that day, they are being checked out. Irkens who were one the streets or around the headquarters at the time are also being checked into."

"How are you 'checking them'?"

"We are looking through proof of what they did at that exact moment and are simply discussing with them."

"Yeah? And when discussion doesn't work, then what will you do?"

"My Tallest, we shall-"

"No, let me tell you what you're _**going**_ to do."

He bitterly hissed, leaning back in his chair so he could get a better look at his Advisor and Commander, both standing at attention. Mouth was in a straight line, red eyes in angry slits, lifting up a single hand to point an index finger at them.

"When your 'discussing' doesn't work, you will contact me as soon as possible. I'm only giving you about two days for your pitiful discussing to go along before I get into the picture. We will put Plan Dust into action if your great plan hasn't worked. I'm keeping this footage so I can go over it as much as I want, I feel like we're missing you. Both of you get out. You both know what you need to do to help rebuild Irk and to keep the Empire strong. Gig, contact that Irken who made the AIR Unit, I want a few words with him about his _perfect_ creation."

"Yes, my Tallest!"

The two saluted before they turned on their heels and left Tallest Red's chamber, the Tallest making sure they left his room before he let his body slowly unflex. Almost curling into a ball within his hovering chair he hid his eyes from the world within his two fingered hands. His head was pounding like crazy, tears wishing to fall that the Tallest wouldn't allow. How dare he cry, it wasn't like he had been the one that had been taken. Poor Purple. He was probably being tortured, not feed, being made to suffer, and the worst of all he was alone.

Who knew what was happening to him.

"Purple, where are you? I just hope you're with someone that will do anything for you."

…

_**(Back On Earth, Zim's Base)**_

…

"Ta… _Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta_…"

"Not this again. Zim just went through this."

The Irken moaned obnoxiously, throwing his head back against the edge of the couch as he took a seat right now to Gaz. He no longer even cared that Tak was in his base after all these years; it was hard to be angry when she was having a hard time breathing. He retracted the laser back into his Pak, ignoring the fact that Gir was jumping on his lap, reaching over to steal some popcorn from Gaz. She growled at him, though still allowed him to take a few pieces of popcorn. The Irken tilted his head sideways so he could look down at Gaz, eyebrow tugging upwards at the sight of the fedora on her head.

"Gazling, why is there a-"

"Gir. Hat party."

"_Ehh_. Okay. What are we-"

"We're watching the Angry Monkey Show."

"That horrible monkey!"

"_Mmhmm_."

Both Gir and Gaz grunted the sound, all three of them relaxing on the couch with their eyes glued on the television screen. At the sound of the scream of terror they all turned their heads sideways, realizing that it had been Tak who had cried out. Devastation marked all over her face, dark purple eyes wide with grief as her hand was knotted at the front of her shirt. She was leaning against the table edge, looking as though if she moved a single inch she was going to collapse on the floor. Huh. Tallest Purple had the same expression on his face when he had saw Zim. Strange.

"_**You're tall**_! You're more than a foot taller than me!"

"Thank you. It seems you have grown taller also, Tak. Not as amazingly tall as Zim, but that's no surprise, it is hard being the almighty Zim."

"_I'm… My squeedily spooch… I'm going to get sick_…"

Dib instantly pulled a chair out for her, Tak nodding her thanks as she slipped into the wooden chair. With her elbows propped onto the table she cradled her face within her hands, no longer speaking to the group. Dib slipped a chair out and took a seat by her side, almost looking as miserable as her. Who could blame them? One had just realized that their enemy was taller than them and the other had his bloody rag taken from him so he couldn't have alien DNA. Not a very pleasant day for them.

"You let Tak into my base? After all I've done for you?"

"Shut up, that was Gir's fault, not mine. He wanted her to come join the hat party he had, you know I can't stop Gir when he's being Gir."

"_**YOU HAVE BETRAYED THE GREAT AND WONDERFUL**_- Ah, yeah, true. It is hard to stop Gir when he's being Gir. Alright. Zim shall forgive you- _On one condition_!"

"What, loser?"

"Do you know how to properly wrap someone up with 'da bandages and such, pitiful Gaz?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, because you shall be doing much of the wrapping on someone very soon."

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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See? Told you guys it was a filler chapter since I haven't updated in a long time. It was not one of my better ones, but ah- Happens.

Please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked!

Have a great day! :D

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	8. The Best It's Gonna Get

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Yay! Reviews, favorites, and love being given all around! :D

Another yay! Another filler chapter! I know I keep saying I'm getting to the main point, I REALLY am, it's just taking longer than I thought it would is all. I'm so tired of these filler chapters, but nothing else is coming out. D;

All of your questions WILL be answered in this story, I promise. Maybe not as soon as you would like, but every single one of them will/should be answered within later chapters. Thanks again for all of the reviews and such, you guys, I'm in love with them! Thanks for everything; I'm happy that people are enjoying this story! :D

If you ever have any questions/comments that you don't want others to read you can always send me a private message by the way. :)

So, without further adieu, let me start.

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_**The Best It's Gonna Get**_

…

_**(Tallest Purple, Inside Zim's Base, Lowest Level)**_

…

"_Uhh_…"

"I really don't care, but I know I should ask anyway since Zim is sleeping… Are you okay?"

Eyelids fluttered opened, the Tallest letting his head fall to the side to see who had spoken to him. He winced when the pain finally processed through his mind, wishing to just fall right back into the slumber he had once been in. A growl escaped from his throat when his vision was blurry, only seeing one green blob and something purple floating in the air. There were sounds of beeping and buzzing, gray shades scattered all over the room, and by the dim lighting it took no time for Purple to realize that he was still in Zim's base.

That meant he was _still_ with Zim.

Ugh.

"No, I'm still here. I could be dead though, or would that be better than being here in Zim's base?"

"You're a big baby, you know that?"

"Am not!"

He argued back, pout crossing his lips as he lifted up a two fingered hand to rub his eyes. His finger tips trailed along his face, feeling no dried blood on his cheek anymore After a few moments he re-opened his purple eyes to check out the scene around him. The first that caught his attention was the needle through the middle of his arm, not even realizing that his breath had caught in his throat. Eyes trailed along the tube that was connected to the needle, following the object till he caught the source of a large, metal pole. It was holding a clear bag, the dark purple liquid that was inside the back traveling through the tube into the veins in his body. Irken blood. That was Irken blood, no doubt about it.

Whose blood though?

"Feeling any pain?"

"Huh? Oh- _Uhh_- Yeah, a bit, but not as bad as earlier. That constant beeping is driving me crazy though! And I'm hungry!"

"Stop whining. That beeping is to make sure that you're still breathing. It's what's helping us to keep track that you're _alive_ and to have you stay alive. And Gir is making donuts upstairs. Or that's what they're supposed to be. You can't even really be sure with Gir."

"DONUTS!"

When a loud snort was heard Purple tilted his head upwards to see where it came from, mouth falling a few inches open.

A very tall Irken was curled up on a rolling computer chair, one long leg dangling off the edge while his forehead was propped up against the knee of the other one. When the Tallest had cried out he had snorted in his sleep, arms wrapping around his leg to pull it closer to his face. Dread marked all over Purple's face when he took in the sight of how tall the Irken actually was even when he was curled up. He may have only been about six inches shorter than him. Or maybe even _five_. And maybe if it wasn't this particular sleeping in that chair he would have found the sight cute.

Nothing was _EVER_ going to be cute about Zim though.

He no longer was wearing the invader uniform that was way too small for him. Now he was clad in a long, dark red shirt and black slacks, fingers twitching within his black gloves every few moments. Other than his height, the big thing that caught his attention was that Zim had one of his sleeves rolled all the way up to his shoulder. Noticing the wrappings around the defect's mid-arm had Purple confused until terror began to form in a little, sickening ball within his squeedily spooch.

_Oh, no. _

_No, no, no_…

"Zim's computer said earlier that I needed some blood. Guess I was beat up pretty badly or whatever, but… Did Zim…?"

"Yeah. Zim gave you some of his blood earlier. Actually, a lot of it. You were in desperate need of blood and pain killers. His blood type matched yours, or that's what the computer said, something about Irkens having six different types of blood or whatever. I wasn't listening, I really didn't care enough."

Huh.

So, it was true.

Crazy _does_ run through the veins.

Purple closed his eyes tightly together, trying to ignore the sickness that refused to go away. Not only was he stuck in Zim's base, but he now was stuck with Zim's defective blood running through his veins. Eyes snapped open when he felt hands brushing against his forehead, a snarl crossing over his lips. The snarl fell instantly when he realized that the voice he had chatting with the entire time was the same person that was wrapping him up. Pale fingers were moving swiftly across his head, one hand skillfully wrapping his forehead while the other hand was bandaging up his right cheek. This person was really good at wrapping, but since they were behind the metal bed Purple was on he still couldn't see them.

"Hurting you?"

"A bit."

"Good."

The Tallest dared to not let a smile cross his face, though he couldn't help with the corners of his mouth lifting. Hey, a sarcastic comment was always funny, no matter who it was from.

"Jerk."

"I know."

"Who are you anyway? You know, as Tallest, I should at least see the face of the person that's touching me!"

His head was tilted back a bit roughly, purple eyes gazing in the beautiful, pale face of a teenage human. Dark purple hair went all the way down her shoulders, the ends of her hair pointing directly outwards like blades. A necklace with a skull pendant on it dangled before his face, never stopping the process of wrapping him. She wore a gray, stripped, long sleeve shirt under a black, short sleeve top, the black collar popped upwards. She was counted as beautiful in human standards, no doubt, but she also looked kinda scary. Really scary. Man, she really did scare him. She had a look on her face like she wanted to choke someone.

"Hey, who are-"

"Gaz. Now, shut up. Your voice is annoying."

A smirk crossed her lips at the pout the Tallest gave, leaning backwards once again in order for her to finish the task of wrapping him. Purple tilted his head to the side once more, catching the sight of the sleeping Zim that was still in the chair. His face was now resting sideways on his knee, making it easier for the Tallest to catch his face. His face even looked a bit broader now, which only made the Tallest try to hold back a sneer that was forming. _Bah_! Of all the Irkens to get a bit tall it had to be Zim! Of course!

"So, are you friends with Zim or something?"

Gaz cracked an eye open, the one gold eye staring at the Tallest before she acted like nothing happened.

"I guess."

"Known him for a while?"

"Since my stupid brother started chasing him around when we were little, screaming about him being an alien and all that."

"Yeah, uh-huh, that's great. So, that means you saw Zim when he was short, like- Enormously short, yeah?"

"Yeah. What's this about?"

"When did he get so…"

The Tallest paused; his eyes trailing over Zim's sleeping form, frowning deeply.

"Tall? It's kinda creepy to just suddenly see him like this."

"It was a while back, probably at least two years ago. My loser brother actually found a way to get Zim's Pak from him and tried taking it to my father to show him it. Zim was screaming about dying in ten minutes or whatever, but Dib just ignored him. To keep a dumb story short, Zim got his Pak back, dad told Dib to stop stealing from his 'foreign' friend, and I got to kick his butt that day. That had been a good day.

After that day Zim just started growing rapidly. The next in class he was at least six inches taller than what he had been. The day after that he was another inch taller, and then another, till he grew to the height he is now. It was weird; none of us ever understood how he grew that quickly in such a short amount of time. The school just said something about puberty finally hitting him or whatever. He just started growing tall though after his Pak was removed, it was kinda weird. I always thought that Zim was a freak though."

"Yeah, me too."

Was all Purple responded back to her, never taking his gaze away from the other Irken in the room. How could that calm, tall Irken lying in that chair still but the same defective Zim that screwed up everything for the Irken Empire? Why would he suddenly get tall after having his Pak forcefully removed from his body? Was there some sort of chemical within the air here on this planet that helped growth? He had been this tall for years! How had he never noticed that in all of their transmissions?!

Thinking over it now, Purple did realize that in many transmissions he hadn't been able to see anything other than Zim's face and chest… Had he tried to hide his height from his Tallests? What kind of idiot would want to hide the fact that they had gotten taller? This was breaking at least two different laws!

Oh, when Zim woke, he was gonna hurt him. Gonna make him hurt _real good_.

Zim stirred in his sleep, facial muscles flexing while his hands knotted into fists, growling incoherent words.

"Why is he here anyway? Shouldn't he be doing, I don't know, crazy things like trying to take over your pitiful planet or whatever?"

"He's here to make sure that you didn't die. Your body went into shock only hours ago. You were bleeding to death. You would have died days ago if Zim hadn't wrapped your wounds up with his ugly invader uniform and my brother's shirt. Without him giving you a lot of his own blood you would have died from that also. Don't you get it, moron? You would have died days ago without Zim being there to help you. There has been multiple times where he could have just left you to die."

"What kind of idiot would leave his Tallest to die?!"

"What kind of leader would toss one of his soldiers to this planet when it's so far from the galaxy you're trying to take over?"

Purple gaped at her, eyes wide as he actually turned his neck to look at her.

"How in Irk's name do you-"

"I'm not stupid. Zim might be, but I'm not. I know things about your 'empire' that your own advisors don't even know about. I know more than you think I do."

And surprisingly enough, Purple believed that. Maybe it was because she was the scariest hyu-man he had ever meet, not that he had meet many, or maybe it was the way she opened her eyes to glare at him. Maybe, just maybe, it was the way she had glanced at Zim when she had told him that statement. He believed her though, which only infuriated him even more. Was she trying to make him feel bad for sending off that defect?!

"How dare you-"

"Because you're an idiot, that's why. I may not be Irken, but I know a good soldier when I see one. I'm done here, you're all wrapped up and not dying for this day. Shame. Would have been nice to see someone die today. Lay there till you feel better or when Zim wakes up, I don't care. Food is upstairs whenever you're ready."

"_I_… _But_- You can't just…!"

His confused words went unheard as the human passed by the chair Zim was sleeping in, not even sparing him a glance as she kept on her journey towards the elevator. Her hand pressed against the button of the elevator, the glass door sliding open for she could get inside. Gaz kept her stiff back towards the Tallest, slightly moving her head over the side so she could look at him over her shoulder. He caught the corner of her mouth twitched downwards into the frown, but other than that her face remained emotionless.

"You know… He's one of the best soldiers that you'll ever have, even if he is an idiot."

And before Purple could even open his mouth she was gone.

Rage took over in a matter of seconds. Purple gripped his antennas and roughly pulled them downwards, not caring that he was putting himself in pain. It wasn't his fault that Zim was a defect! Red and him had no other choice but to send Zim off the planet! He was a danger to every Irken! Zim did one thing right and this pathetic human thought she knew everything?! Zim was nothing more than a defect! He had done his job as Tallest to protect his citizens and to make sure the Empire would keep expanding! He was innocent!

'_Innocent, Mr. Airlock_?'

'_Not __**you**__. I just got up; shouldn't you still be sleeping or something_?'

'_Whoa. Why so angry, Mr. Innocent-Even-Though-I-Used-My-People? I'm just your thoughts is all, I mean, you are the one that told me- __**Ahem**__… I mean yourself a while back that you're tried of feeling like you have a split personality. So, why not have a friendly discussion with yourself, my dear Tallest_?'

'_Talking to myself is also crazy, you know? And are you trying to give me a hint or something_?'

'_A hint, Mr. Never-Does-Nothing-Wrong? By Irken Coding, no! Never! It's not like you should thank Zim or anything like that. It's not like he saved you or anything! Because he didn't go to Irk to save your life, you know? Just a couple things to remind you is all_.'

'_Why would I ever thank that defect? He destroyed more than half of Irk_! _He never followed anything that we ever told him! He broke so many regulations that his Pak should have been pulled off!_ _Why is everyone suddenly standing up for that defect_?!'

Purple blinked in surprise when no response was given for a few moments, thinking that maybe the other side of himself had finally shut up for once.

'_You have ignored the height requirements and hired a Personal Service Drone that was too short to fill in the position. You refused to let the Control Brains get access into your pak even though they told you to. You deliberately refused to listen to any of their words and ignored their commands. You shot a laser at the Control Brains and destroyed one of the brains. You blew up the Control Brain Headquarters along with the Irkens inside the building. You got into a Voot Cruiser with both an exiled Irken and some Earthling, destroying one of the first Advanced Infiltrator Units in the process. You have officially run away from the planet you are ruling over and are inside the banished defect's base_.'

The silence rang out both in the real world and in his mind, eyes unblinking.

'_Tell me this, Tallest Purple, who is the defect here_?'

No response was given.

'_You know, that 'Gaz' was right, he is one of the best soldiers that we… You have_.'

Tallest Purple gazed at Zim's sleeping form, body over whelmed and exhausted from his thoughts and the emotional pressure he was now feeling.

'_No, he __**would**__ have been if he was still part of the Irken Empire_.'

'_So, what now_?'

'_Donuts. I need food. You go away, you've said enough already. I get the hint. Really, I get it. __**I get it**__._'

'_I will come back later and we discuss a few things later_.'

'_I'm so tired of talking to you. What do you even want to talk about_? _Weather here on earth_?'

'_Funny.__We need to figure out what is being hidden from the Irken Empire. We need to find a way to help our people. In order to do that we need to actually figure out what the true problem is. There is something more than the height issue, I just know it._'

'_Yeah, fine, whatever. Donuts first_.'

'_Fine_.'

The obnoxious ringing in his head was gone, a sigh escaping his lips that the Tallest didn't even realize that he had been holding. He pushed himself upwards to get off the metallic bed, purple eyes slanting into a glare at the sight of the other Irken in the room. One look at the wrappings on Zim's arm made Purple sick, turning his head sideways so he didn't have to look at him anymore. He ignored the guilt filling up in his squeedily spooch, weak arms finally pushing himself off the bed. Long legs wobbled under him, remembering that he no longer had his hover belt, teeth beginning to grit.

He should have never contacted Zim. If he had kept his mouth shut none of this would have happened.

He had acted out of character when he had no facts if something really was wrong with the Empire.

"_I really do hate __you_."

The Tallest bitterly whispered at the resting Irken that had once been his soldier, body becoming stiff and mouth forming into a straight line. Even if Red wasn't by his side he needed to keep his composure, even if he was stuck with his most hated enemy. He took one step, then another, and another, till finally he was strolling towards the elevator that led towards the upper level. Purple stumbled into the elevator and slammed his hand against the button, the glass door sliding shut before him. Zim's tall body was still resting peacefully like nothing would wake him up, curled up in his own happy dreams.

Seeing him peaceful only made the rage Purple felt increase by ten fold.

"You're the defect, not me!"

Zim didn't even stir in his sleep, the elevator taking the Tallest away after his cry.

…

_**(Zim's Base, Upstairs)**_

…

"-And that's all I know. Tak, Irk is in a pretty bad state right now and so is your Tallest. It seems that he's going to be staying here for a while; it's the safest place right now. Someone is trying to kill him on Irk and Zim is the only one that can help him right now. So, do me a favor and don't kill Zim- Yet. I know Zim wouldn't have told you any of this, so I just thought that I…"

Tak and Dib whipped their heads around when they saw the door to the fridge being pushed open, the female Irken's muscles automatically tensing. Her finger tips slipped behind her back towards her Pak, fingers tracing over the button that would retract the laser. It may have been another enemy that got into the base that was here to attack Zim. Or maybe it was Zim. She really did hope it was Zim; accidentally shooting him would be worth all the punishment she would receive. Yes, Zim, come out, come out… Let Tak shoot you in the squeedily spooch or maybe your heard.

It was be better to take aim at the squeedily spooch; there wasn't anything in Zim's head that was worth losing.

"Who makes machines this small?! Jeez- Someone could have given me a warning that I was going to hit my head!"

Her face paled at the voice she knew from all the transmissions she had given him years ago, hand shifting from her Pak to her forehead in a salute. Tallest Purple peaked his head around the corner of the fridge, catching sight of the big-headed human Dib and some female Irken at the table. He waved his hand carelessly at her salute, letting her hand slip back to her side. Tallest Purple opened his mouth to ask a question, but what came out was a squeal of excitement. Dib almost fell out of his chair in fear when the Tallest had lunged right at him, hands reaching outwards like he was going to choke him.

So, this is how he was going to die, by the hands of the Irken leader…

Huh. That was a kinda cool death.

"Donuts! Gimme, gimme!"

"Wha-? Oh… Oh! Yeah, sorry! Zim made this right before he went back downstairs to check up on you. Said you'll need food when you wake up and the Tallest would prefer donuts over anything else."

"He was right... For once."

The Tallest did a grabbing motion and the human passed over the bowl filled with donuts that had been resting on his lap, a happy grin going over the Tallest's face. He just kept his place on the top of the table, resting the bowl between his legs when he sat down criss-crossed. Dib's mouth fell open at the way this Irken leader was devouring the donuts, having never seen anyone eating in such a horrible manner. Dib almost felt sorry for the donuts! He turned his head slightly to look at Tak, who kept her composure well, eyebrow only tugging upwards slightly on her face.

Was she used to her leader eating like this? Did he always eat like this?

"So, I know you, big-headed human-"

"My head isn't big!"

"Uh-huh, whatever, Big-head. You though, I know you, but I can't put a name on it. Just who exactly are you?"

Tak bowed her head in respect at her Tallest, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile.

"I am Tak, my Tallest Purple; I was the one who came up with the idea to take Zim's 'mission' away from him."

"Oh yeah, you were the Snack-planet invader! I remember you! I loved that idea!"

"I thought you would, my Tallest, but of course _**Zim**_ had to ruin my plans."

"Doesn't he ruin everyone's plans?"

The two shared a mocking laugh together; the two Irkens finally letting themselves relax around one another. The human tried to hold back the excited grin that was spreading over his face. Come on, a leader from another planet was sitting before him with another alien solider, chatting away. And they were making fun of Zim! This was both a large step for Paranormal Investigator and a small winning point for Zim's Tallest making fun of him.

"So, Snack-invader, why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be back on Irk or something?"

"I had come back to try and get revenge on Zim again since I built a new ship on my own. I would have gone back to Irk, but… But I never was contacted back from Tallest Red or you, so I just assumed that since I had failed my mission…"

'_That I was no longer apart of the Irken Empire_.'

The words never left her mouth, eyes narrowing in shame as her antennas slightly went back. Dib didn't miss it when Purple had actually twitched his neck, fingers ripping a donut apart from the force of their hold. Greedy motions and smiles were now gone, a frown on the Tallest's face as he kept his eyes locked on Tak. His attention was no longer focused on the donuts, giving the female Irken everything that he could. But why? Why was it after that twitch that he completely changed? From the way he had been eating those donuts it seemed that if they had been under attack he would still eat those donuts…

Why did that twitch have to do with anything?

"Tak, why did you never contact the Massive?"

"I did, my Tallest, but the transmission never went through or I was told that you were busy. I understand that you must always be busy, Tallest Purple. I don't expect you to remember one little Irken out of millions of them. Nothing is your fault, my tallest, it is mine. I should have conquered this planet and succeeded with the mission! Really, I understand."

"No, you don't. No one in the Irken Empire does, not even Red. And some days, not even I. It is our job to remember every Irken, from food drone to advisor, little or not. We should have answered your transmission, Tak, it's… It's been years since that mission you tried to do. Have you been on your own for years?"

"I- In a way, but not totally. I still have my SIR Unit Mimi, my tallest, and I found random jobs here and there around Irk to get the monies to pay for ship parts. I… I was fine, my Tallest. I am fine."

Tak tried to keep her expression serious, almost flinching under the worried gaze her Tallest sent her, feeling a blush heat up her cheeks. Why was he acting like this? He was never this compassionate before, in all of her years she had never seen him like this once. Not even to Tallest Red. She had not idea how to handle someone being so worried and nice towards her; the academy training never taught her how to keep her composure against compassion.

"Your Pak! When you told us about the mission you wanted to do we said we would reset your Pak to invader if you succeeded! You never succeeded and we completely forgot, have you been without a job for years?"

She couldn't keep this façade up any longer if he kept looking at her in sorrow.

"Yes, my Tallest. It all worked out just fine though."

"Yeah, but it would have been better if we actually contacted you back years ago. How long you have suffered because of our mistake. You had to work a lot more than any other Irken because of your Tallests own laziness and forgetfulness. As soon as Zim wakes up I'll have him hack connect the computer to your Pak so we can change your job. It's not like he hasn't hacked into both the Massive and Irken systems enough times already. I still have scars from him taking over the Massive years ago. But really though, Tak, if there is anything I can do, I will."

"_You_… You are already doing it right now, my Tallest."

She felt her bottom lip twitch, hands trembling under the table. Her Tallest didn't truly understand what he was saying. He was actually apologizing to her for his own mistake and was the first person to realize that she had to actually work for a living. She hadn't been apart of the Irk Empire for years. Years! But now… Now, her own leader was trying to make everything right. This was… Oh no, those went tears forming in her-?

Tak almost threw her chair when she stood up abruptly, saluting her Tallest for a split second before she turned her back away from them.

"I need to go and check up on something. I will check Zim's base to make sure that you will have everything you need and sleeping chambers prepared. I shall be staying as long as you need me, my Tallest, I will not leave you in the hands of Zim. Now, if you excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

She was more than hallway through the kitchen when she had stated what she was going to do. She needed to get out of here. Now. Right now. She couldn't handle anything else at the moment, if her Tallest said one more thing…

"Yes, of course. And Tak? I'm… I'm sorry. Really. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you, but I'm going to fix it. I will."

The last thing Dib and Purple saw of Tak was when she lifted up her hand towards her face, looking like she had put a hand over her face. The tallest turned his attention back towards the donuts, poking at one with the tip of his finger, though refusing to eat it.

"Umm… Tallest Purple, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yes, I'm alright, Dib. I just-"

His entire body twitched to the left, the finger that had been gently touching the donut poking a hole through it.

"I just wish I had some fresh donuts! Why are you making a Tallest eat old and icky donuts? Fresh donuts! Oh, and puppets, too! Yeah, donuts and puppets!"

"What? But- _Umm_… Yeah, okay. Okay! Donuts and puppets! _Jeez_- Hold on to your antennas, no need to push! I'm getting there! I'm getting there!"

What in Bigfoot's name just happened?!

…

_**(Hours Later, Zim's Base, Lowest Level)**_

…

"Not crazy. Missing part. The Irken Symbol. Her thoughts."

"Those are the only words that the Tallest had highlighted on the saved file?"

"Yeah, that's why I said them. Those are the main words that Tallest Purple had highlighted on the saved file."

"_Hmm_- Interesting."

"_Ehh_- Not trying to be rude, but shouldn't you not be going through Tallest Purple's saved files?"

"Shouldn't you not be questioning your master?"

Zim hissed back to his computer, leaning his back farther into the rolling chair that was under him, eyeing something within his hands. Dib was leaning over the back of Zim's chair, also looking downwards at the object within the Irken's grasp. It was a screen covered with the Irken language, some which Dib could read on his own and some that he didn't know the terms to. It had been the same screen that tallest Purple had asked to type on earlier that day and in the dimness of Zim's lab it was now safe to read.

"Zim, do you have any idea what any of this could mean?"

"Not a clue, Dib-stink, not even the amazing Zim could decipher this."

"So, Zim, why exactly did you ask me to stay over your house tonight? It's not like we're friends or anything."

"Ha! Thinking that Zim would even want you as a friend! That's cute."

The Irken let the mocking laugh leave from his throat, spinning around in his chair so he could come face to face with Dib. When the alien made a hand gesture towards another rolling chair, the human took that chair and pulled it towards Zim. As soon as he took a seat they both made eye contact, one pair of brown eyes were burning with skeptic while the other pair of magenta were almost as cold as ice. It was fire against ice. Human against alien. Good against bad.

For some reason though Dib didn't feel like he would actually be fighting Zim anytime soon.

"You saw the Tallest twitch."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"_Umm_- Yeah?"

"And you mentioned that you noticed his mood swings earlier this day, filthy monkey. You said that he seemed to have been in pain and it had been like he was two different Irkens when he twitched. This means you have been paying attention to my Tallest."

"Whoa, Zim, I'm not trying to be creepy or anything! I just thought you would like to know!"

"Are you worried about Tallest Purple?"

The question caught Dib off guard.

Did he care about Tallest Purple? This was Zim's leader after all, an alien that was trying to take over Earth, and enslave his people! Why would he even care about this guy? Why had Dib even mentioned to Zim earlier about how his Tallest has been acting? It just seemed… Wrong to not report about Purple's well-being, it looked like he was hurting real bad. He was the one who had been piloting the Voot Cruiser; he still got tingles when thinking about, and he remembered the blood the Tallest had shed that day. He had almost died during the trip back to Earth and he didn't even know it. He had given up his favorite shirt in order to stop the Tallest from bleeding to death.

"I guess, I mean… He seems kinda nice for being an evil alien that wants to conquer my world. I gave you my shirt to help stop him from bleeding to death. He… He needs help, Zim, and I guess that makes me want to care about him."

"If the time ever came down to it, would I… If I could…"

Zim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, eyes narrowed, and teeth grit. Dib tugged his eyebrows upwards at his frienemy, wondering what was coming over him. This was the first time in absolute years that Zim had been nervous around Dib. He was never like this! This wasn't the cocky and sadistic alien that he knew!

"If it came down to you, which in all of Irk's name I hope it never does, but would you being to… To… _Uhh_-?"

"Are- Are you trying to ask me if I'll _help_ you?!"

"You- _Help_? _Hahaha_! Pathetic, _stoopid_ Dib-child! Zim is not asking if you'll help him! I am simply asking if little Dib-meat would… Come as assistance if it was ever needed."

"Oh, God, you are asking for my help! You, the big, bad, evil alien! Why do you think I would ever help _**you**_?"

If Dib had been caught off guard by this question also he didn't show it.

He began laughing uncontrollably, one arm wrapped around his stomach while the other hand slipped over his mouth. The human tried to calm himself, but he did it with no success. Shoulders trembled with his useless efforts, eyes almost burning with tears from his own laughter. This was just too much! Zim! This was Zim, the real Zim, actually coming to him for help! To have his own alien enemy needing his help! This… This was so beautiful.

"Computer, play track 46."

"Fine."

Laughter stopped when brown eyes caught the cruel smile crossing over Zim's face.

"_Hey, Zim?"_

"_What, meatbag?"_

"_I know we aren't friends and we try to kill each other here and there, and you're a jerk- But, you know, if you need anything, you can always come and talk to me."_

Dib instantly paled when he heard the words, remembering that he had said that to Zim weeks ago in their class. He had recorded their conversation? That sneaky little-! It was now Zim that was rolling with laughter, pointing an index finger directly at Dib.

"That is why I think you'll help me, Dib-stink!"

"Because I said you could come to me for help? Please, Zim, like I'll ever-"

"Oh, so you're a liar then, meatbag? You always speak of the good and right that you do, but you won't help a person in need? You dare say that you're good when you're lying directly to Zim's face?"

"We both know that's not-"

"-True, Dib? Is that what you were going to say? True? How can you speak of truth when you're nothing more than an _**L-I-A-R**_?!"

"Zim!"

"Eh. But whatever, liar, it's not any of my business what you preach to your fellow hyu-mans. It's not like Zim isn't offering you to help out with his 'alien' planet or anything like that. Look at stupid Dibling over in that chair, passing up an offer to look into Irk's coding systems and history. Ah, well, it's not like that's important to you, is it? It's not like you're a Paranormal Investigator or anything. This is only the chance of a lifetime."

Dib was the fish and Zim was the hook.

And Zim had just caught his fish where he wanted him.

"I… Well, it's… God, Zim, fine! I'll help! What exactly do you want?!"

"Not yet, Dib, not yet. I'm just making sure I'll have your help when the time comes. And it will come. Very soon."

"You know, you really are a jerk."

"Yes, isn't Zim amazing?"

"I hate you."

"And I hate you, Dib. I hate you, too."

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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Thanks for reading! Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day! :D

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	9. One More Day

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A Question To Invader Johnny: DO YOU EVER SLEEP?! You are always the first to review (which I adore to no end. :D) no matter what the time is! If I upload at five in the morning, two in the afternoon, whenever! I'm kinda impressed, actually. ;P

_**I WISH I COULD SEND YOU ALL LOVE COOKIES**_! Seriously, I really would, the reviews and favorites just mean so much to me! That would be a little creepy though to send you all some cookies. Then again, you are Invader Zim fans, creepy really isn't new for any of you… ;P

A little thing on the "romance" in my story. If you guys have your slash/straight/whatever-romantic-interest goggles on, you'll notice that I have a lot of different couples in this story. I do not support just one Invader Zim couple; I enjoy all of them, straight or not. Any couple is possible in this story, which means that it's just not one _**certain**_ couple, but many. So, put on your goggles and enjoy if that's your kinda of thing. :D If not, I don't know, go eat a donut or something.

This chapter is _**VERY**_ out of character, you guys. _**VERY**_. Fair warning, I usually try to keep it in character a little bit, but this chapter is a lot more emotional and getting to the real point. The out of character helps get to the main action though. ;P

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_**One More Day**_

…

_**(One Week Later, Planet Irk, Tallest Red)**_

…

"_I'm worried_."

"_He's just doing what he has to do, Gig. You don't understand. This is how interrogation goes; Tallest Red has to do what he has to do._"

Commander Sic whispered over to Advisor Gig, both of them frowning deeply at the sight that was unfolding before them. Gig narrowed her lime green eyes, curled antennas almost laying flat against her head as she heard Tallest Red raise his voice at some of the invaders before him. When she saw her Tallest raise his hand along with his voice that kept getting deeper, she visibly flinched, knowing what was going to come next. Her eyes closed at the same time the loud, sickening sound was heard, ignoring the cry of both pain and shock from the Irken that had just taken the blow. Just today Tallest Red had smacked twenty-three invaders for not giving him the information he sought out to find. He had smacked five of them twice in a row for letting any tears go down their face after his first hit.

And when she heard another cry and the sound of a body hitting the metal ground the number was now six.

"_He shouldn't be doing this. This isn't the way. We're his citizens, his people, and his followers. We are the Empire_."

"_He has too, Gig. It's been over ten days since Tallest Purple has been taken and there has been no sign of him. We haven't been able to retrieve any information from the Control Brains and Irk is a complete disaster right now. No new smeets have been born and Red believes that there are, at least, a hundred of them that will now be dead. We barley have source of power in all of our cities and everyone is tense. Tallest Red has been pulling in all of the invaders and soldiers, so we barley have any of our people left in the galaxy_."

"_But… Commander_-"

"_Damnit, Gig! This is what he needs to do! We need to find our other Tallest; some enemy could be torturing him right now! You know how close the Tallests were_!"

"_That doesn't mean that we should be acting like we're completely insane! We're_…"

The advisor turned her head sideways to try and block out the screams that were filling the air, automatically reaching outwards to grab Commander Sic's hand. He pulled her closer to him so their shoulders would be touching, pushing their arms backwards so he could hide the fact that they were holding hands. Tallest Red would count that as weakness. He didn't like weakness. Weakness brought pain and suffering for both the Irken showing weakness and their family.

"_By Tallest Spork, don't you get it? We're like sitting smeets now. If any planet wants to come and take revenge on us they can. Tallest Red is so absorbed with finding Tallest Purple that he has completely forgotten about his own citizens. Commander, I'm not only worried. I'm_…"

When there was a cracking echo she trembled, the Commander never turning his head away from the scene. It was his job to watch what the Tallest did to his men. It was one of the worst sights he had ever seen his entire life. To see the enemy kill and hurt his men brought rage and disgust. But to watch as the enemy that was also your Tallest pull your men apart and hurt them was… Was hopeless. He had to watch, damnit, he had to! He didn't agree with it, but what else could he do?

Tallest Red wouldn't just kill him; he would kill his mate if the Tallest ever found out who his lover was.

"_Oh, Sic, I'm scared. I'm so scared_."

"_So am I. But… By Irk, Gig, we have to do this. We have to. It's our job… It's our job. Keep our hands hidden, don't let him see us holding hands. You know Tallest Red. No affection. No weakness. He's almost done, open your eyes for he thinks that you've been watching the entire time_."

"Commander Sic!"

"Yes, my Tallest!"

The muscular Irken instantly went into an attention position, having to let go of Gig's hand in order to salute his Tallest. Tallest Red had his back towards them, using a white cloth to wipe dark purple liquid from his hands. The blood from the invader he had just beaten for not giving him the answers he wanted about Purple. Commander Sic let his gray eyes glance at the invader that was trying to push himself up on wobbly arms, head tilted away from the other Irkens so they wouldn't see his tears. It was Invader Slacks, he had conquered planet Boodie Nen, and had been one of the best invaders he had ever seen. To see him trembling on his knees like that was devastating.

It was like watching your own smeet get beat by an academy bully that you couldn't touch.

In one day, Commander Sic had just watched twenty-four of his smeets get beaten till they could barley move.

"How many invaders has it been?"

"Twenty-four."

"How many are left?"

"Two. There had been twenty-six invaders on Irk the day Tallest Purple had been taken. Every single Voot Cruiser belonging to the invaders we are… 'Seeing' today already had their courses set in for the planets they were assigned to take over. None of them even has access to their Voot Cruisers the day Tallest Purple had been taken."

The Commander didn't even need to utter the rest of the sentence he was thinking of because all of the Irkens in the room other than Slacks already knew what he wanted to say.

'_Please, stop beating them like this. None of them could have even done this crime. You're not helping out any way by beating my men. Have you forgotten that they are your men, too? Have you forgotten that all of us are your citizens? Your people? Your followers?_'

"No, but they could have plotted with another Irken about stealing Tallest Purple. What needs done will be done, Commander. Have you looked into the people around the headquarters at the time?"

"Yes, sir. I have already dealt with them the way you wanted me too. They also have no information about Tallest Purple and have in great detail told me what they were doing at the time. We have footage to prove that those around at the time had been innocent."

"Innocent. What a stupid word. Fine. You have one more day left, Commander, to find out where Purple is and who took him."

"My Tallest, is there not a way to discuss this-"

"No. There isn't. One more day until I put Plan Dust into action. You better hurry, Commander."

"Yes, my Tallest. I will keep going over the footage of when Tallest Purple had been taken and call back in everyone that had been at the headquarters that day. We have men working every where, from trying to gain the information from the Control Brains to trying to reactivate the birthing smeet facilities. We're trying, Tallest Red."

"Yeah? Well, your trying isn't good enough. One more day, Commander, one more. If you don't figure it out where Purple could possibly be, then the beginning of Plan Dust will be put into action."

"Yes, my Tallest!"

He saluted his Tallest once more, the black mask over his mouth hiding the fact that he was frowning deeply about the news he was just given. He needed to figure out a way to find Tallest Purple very soon or everything was going to fall to pieces. Tallest Red didn't even realize just how badly Plan Dust would affect the entire Irken Empire, whether they were tall or not. The Tallest was only going to start the beginning of Plan Dust if he didn't find the location of where tallest purple was. What would he do though when Red put the entire plan into action?

What would the entire Irken Empire do?

"Advisor Gig, send in the next invader."

"Yes, sir."

She replied meekly, antennas flat as she bowed her head at her Tallest in order for him to not see the tears forming in her eyes. If he saw her cry he would go after her or worse, Commander Sic. She swiftly turned on her heel and hurried out the room, only Sic noticing that she moved her hand upwards to wipe the tears off her cheeks. A few moments later she was holding the door open for another invader, closing it as soon as he strolled through the door. The invader looked rather shocked when she pressed a certain code into the door panel that locked it more than five times. The invader whipped his head around towards the Commander and Tallest, the expression of dread on his face telling them that he knew something was terribly wrong.

It was none other than Invader Flobee; he had conquered the rock people of Rokenticano. He had been such a funny cadet during training, he always found a way to make others smile when he didn't do it much himself.

"Invader, do you know why you're here?"

"No, my Tallest. Did I do something wrong?"

"Possibly, depending on the information that you give. Invader, you are about to go through an interrogation. If I believe you are hiding something dealing with Tallest Purple and his current location, you will be severely punished."

It was Sic this time that sought out for Gig's hand, the twenty-fifth time starting to become too much for him. Gray eyes watched the scene in despair, not being able to do anything for his invaders. Confusion may have been tinting the area around them, but the air was thick with fear. The Commander could only gaze onwards when the blows began, flexing his muscles and gripping Gig's hand tighter to remind himself of what would happen if he tried to step into the situation. Flobee took the blows like a true soldier, never letting a single tear fall, but the hope was no longer in his eyes.

Was Tallest Red going to do this till all of Sic's invaders were out of hope?

Was he going to do this till his smeets were broken down into pieces?

Everything was falling apart and he could do nothing about it.

…

_**(Few Hours Later, Irk, Control Brains Headquarters)**_

…

"We've been trying for days, my Tallest, but it's impossible. Whatever happened to the Control Brains did a bigger damage than any of us expected."

"Can you gather the data though?"

Tallest Red cried out over the commotion going on, workers yelling and broken pieces of the building being thrown around every where. Tallest Red was on the top floor at the Control Brains Headquarters, or rather, what was left of the top floor of the headquarters. Security team and other muscular Irkens were still trying to move all of the broken building pieces out of the way to get to the Control Brains. If they had been allowed to use drills and other tools they would have been done with this over a week ago. Scientists had said that if they use tools they may accidentally damage the Brains more than wanted. At this rate though, it seemed like the Brains were damaged enough on their own that it wouldn't even mattered if they used tools or not.

"Not without the Control Brains, no. And even if we do get them it's unlikely that we'll be able to retrieve the information from them. With how much the fire burned up and the building ceiling falling directly on top of the Control Brains, I'll be surprised if there's anything left of them."

"Irk is counting on you though! We don't have power on most of the planet! There isn't another power source strong enough to supply our planet! Connection to other planets isn't working, we're running out of food supply, transportation can no longer be accessed, and many other things are no longer working! Is there nothing you can do?!"

"I'm sorry, my Tallest, but there's nothing we can do! This is out of our hands!"

A snarl overtook the features of the Tallest, hissing in rage at rather short, bug eyed Irken before him.

"Then you have failed your mission! You better figure out a way to get that information today or else!"

Before the bug eyed Irken could even retort back the Tallest was already gone, leaving him to stand there with just a clipboard, lost hope, and sounds blaring that no longer meant a thing to him.

…

_**(Couple Hours Later, Irk, Security Chamber)**_

…

"Sir, you don't understand, this unit is impossible to find."

"How?! Isn't there a tracking device on it or something?"

"Indeed, I had placed on into it, but we made the unit too smart. It… Well; it took out the tracking device."

The Tallest groaned obnoxiously, throwing his head back into the chair that was behind him, fingers gripping the area between his eyes. Someone must have been pulling his antenna right now. This unit was so intelligent that it had taken its' own tracking device out in order for no one to follow where it went. That was impressive, no doubt, but also another thing to go onto his list of things that needed done. Everything was a complete disaster and nothing seemed like it was going to get fixed anytime soon.

"Have any idea where the unit could be?"

"Well… You told us to create the AIR Unit for Tallest Purple and that's exactly what we had done. There's no doubt in my mind that the unit is looking for Tallest Purple right now. The main mission of that unit is to protect and serve Tallest Purple any way it can."

"So, you're telling me…"

_Keep calm, keep calm_…

"That this unit, the Advance Infiltrator Unit, is missing and you have no way to track it. You only created one of them and since the Control Brains are down you have no way of bringing up the blueprint holograms to make anymore. This unit may have Tallest Purple within his grasp right now, but you can't find the location of where it's at because you made it too _intelligent_?"

"_N-N-Now, my Tallest Red, we can always_-"

"Fix this? Yeah, you can fix this, can't you, moron? You should have found out where Tallest Purple was days ago and he should have been brought back by now! None of the searches have worked out! We have thousands of invaders searching through all the planets Irk has control of and we still haven't found a single clue! You can't even find the _ship_ that had taken Purple! You are a disgrace to the Irken Empire!"

"_What_? No! It's not like-"

"Yeah, it _is_ like that! You have failed your mission! You better figure out where that stupid unit is and find the location of where Tallest Purple is _**today**_! If you don't, you better hope that you can out run me!"

"_But… My… My_…"

The Tallest left the stuttering, little Irken by himself, slamming the door behind his hovering form. The little Irken pulled himself into a ball, closing his blue eyes to try and relax himself. Everything was in ruins and not a single Irken could do anything about it.

…

_**(Hours Later, Irk, The Smeet Hatcheries)**_

…

"We don't have enough time to figure out how to save them. There seems to be no solution to finding a way to birth the smeets on our own. They're dying, my Tallest. Hundreds of them are already dead within their tubes."

"What?! But- _How_?"

"Their bodies are just shutting down. They were not activated on time."

"This tube, this one right here… You said that the activation date hasn't passed yet, the smeet was supposed to be hatched today! There's even a smile on the front of the tube! Doesn't that mean the smeet is alright?! Open the tube!"

"My Tallest, we can't open it."

"_**Do it**_!"

"You don't understand! A smeet can not be hatched like-No! Tallest Red! _**STOP**_!"

The cry from the Lieutenant of the Science depart went unheard by the Tallest.

Red had pulled broken one of the tube tops with his bare fist, glass and metal shattering and ripping through his hand as soon as he made contact. He had almost forgotten about the amazing strength that an Irken was capable of having. Green liquid that the smeet was confined in began pouring out onto the floor, pooling around the feet of the hovering Tallest. He grit his teeth as his other hand grasped the bleeding one, he had also forgotten how painful it was to hit something. Especially glass and metal. His red eyes glanced away from his stinging hand, his own dark purple blood no longer a real matter when he caught the horror before his eyes.

Within the glass tube there laid the light green body of a smeet, curled up into a ball that seemed to be sleeping peacefully in the liquid that was left over in the tube. Tallest Red knew better though than to believe that the smeet was sleeping. The smeet was dead. Just another one in the hundreds of them that were dead. With a shaky hand the Tallest slipped it right through the opening in the tube, reaching over to touch the smeet. A scientist reached his hand outwards to stop his Tallest, but the Lieutenant swiftly grabbed his hand, and with a shook of his head both knew to let the Tallest do what he wanted.

Red's dark purple blood accidentally got onto the face of the smeet, no longer caring for his own wounds at this point. The tips of his fingers brushed up against the curled antennas of the little smeet, this smeet having rather long eyelashes and dark green skin. This smeet… It would have been female if it lived. His hand gently brushed against the smooth cheek, the Tallest biting the insides of his own cheeks to hold back his cries. His fingers stopped directly at its- Her closed eyes, pondering to himself for a few moments if he dared to do what he wanted to do. After a few moments of silent arguing he finally pushed one of her eyelids upwards, throat tightening up at the eye color the smeet had.

She had the same shade of red eyes that he did.

She had his eyes.

Eyes of the Tallest that didn't save her.

"Get out. Just… _Get out_. _You have failed your mission_."

The group of Irken scientists left without a single word, leaving Tallest Red to himself with the smeet facility. He slipped his other hand in tube, gently slipping both two-fingered hands underneath the small body of the little smeet. Very slowly he pulled her out of the tube, making sure that none of the shards of glass or broken metal even touched her soft skin. After pulling her out all the way and resting her in his arms, he now simply stared at her, so many emotions crashing through him that he couldn't figure out what he felt. Was he anger? Was he feeling despair? Did he just want to curl up in a corner and cry or did he just want to take all his rage out on a Service Drone? What did he want?

… Hope.

He wanted some hope; the thing he knew that he would never receive.

"You wouldn't understand, and why would you? You're dead. One of the many smeets that have died over the past few days, because I have failed you. It is not the scientists fault, nor the security team, not even any shorter Irkens fault- It is mine. All mine. And yet, it is also their fault! They are the ones who have failed both Purple and I! They aren't even trying to save their own planet! They are the ones who have failed us! But why am I saying us though? You're dead!

And you know what? At this time… I can't help but be jealous that you're the one that's dead. I have to be here. Here is this planet called Irk, a planet that has only a little bit of power left and is running out of food supplies. Here is where we have one leader missing because someone took him from me! Here is the area to go to for utter chaos and destruction! Here is where you have no idea how to tell your ally from your enemy apart! The Control Brains, the source of our everything, was destroyed here! My own citizens had turned against me and taken my best friend away from me! They have turned their backs to their own Empire!

And you know what else? They'll regret ever doing this! All of them! They'll regret betraying me and their own planet! It is them that have failed, not me! My own invaders are the ones that had captured Purple and taken him! I can't do everything on my own! The only thing I should… Need to do is find Purple to make sure he's alright! I just need to start being on my own and let them figure out problems for themselves! Because if they won't try to save you, then they definitely won't try to save me! We don't need the Control Brains; I can be a power source for you! I'll still try to save you no matter what they say! Because if I can't save you… _If I can't save you_…"

The emotional turmoil was turning everything into a gray haze. A loud ripping sound was heard- Why was he ripping part of the bottom of his robes off?! His body slipped into a kneeling position, hands patting down the fabric, now laying something soft against the warm, smooth fabric. The smeet, he was putting the smeet down on top of the cloth on the ground! But why? What was he thinking? What was he doing? He bolted from the area that the smeet was laying in, going into the darkness that was by the corner.

The lock to a small device connected to the wall was pulled off with no effort, reviling a panel before the eyes of the Tallest. The logic part of Red remembered that this panel could control the machines working the smeet facility, but without the Control Brains there would be no power. Power. Yes, power! He could be the power! Frantically, the Tallest opened a slot from within his Pak, a hand behind his back trying to find a- _Yes_! A wire that could connect! He could be a form of a power source! There was a hole in the panel that he may be able to… _It connects_! The wire fit perfectly into the outlet! This may work! They didn't need the Control Brains! The Irkens themselves could power up their own planet!

Skilled fingers pressed hundreds of buttons in a matter of seconds, never pulling his red eyes away form the smeet. From the ceiling, two mechanical arms reached downwards towards the smeet, a Pak within the grasp of one of the arms. The sound of drilling was the only sound that was heard, after holes had been placed into her back the Pak fit nicely into the open wounds. Red tried to not let a smile cross his face when the other arm zapped the smeet directly on the head, supposedly powering up the pak and activating the smeet. The arms disappeared back upwards into the darkness of the ceiling, the wire connecting to the panel being pulled out as the Tallest stumbled towards the smeet.

The smeet was still in the position he had left her on the cloth.

She was still dead.

He couldn't even save one smeet's life with his own power, Irk **needed** the Control Brains.

"… _No one can save you_."

Before he could let the tears fall like he so desperately wanted them to an obnoxious, ear-piercing beeping sound was heard. Sorrow was immediately crushed under the weight of rage, Red slamming his hand against the side of his belt. When he had done this action it had stopped the beeping, because the beeping had not been random, it had been an alarm. An entire day has officially passed. No one had figured out any solutions to any of the problems in the day that had just passed. Everything was still the same as it has been the passed couple of days. No power, no trust, no hope, and no Purple. It was still the same.

Fine.

It was time to see if Commander Sic had the location or invader that he needed.

Red tilted his wrist to the side, pressing the button on the communicator that would be a talking device between Sic and him.

"Commander Sic."

"_Yes, My Tallest_?"

"It has been exactly a day since my warning to you. Have you found the location of where Tallest Purple is and who has taken him?"

"_My Tallest_-"

"Answer me, Sic."

"… _No, my Tallest, nothing is known of where Tallest Purple is or the invader that has him_."

"You have failed your mission."

"_Tallest Red_-!"

"Begin Plan Dust."

Red had caught off the transmission before Commander Sic could say another word. His eyes left his wrist back towards the smeet that was still on the ground, snuggled against the cloth on the floor. The Tallest hissed when he caught on to the fact that he was still stumbling, he hadn't realized that he had given so much energy that his hovering belt was no longer working. He grit his teeth as he kneeled down to get by the side of the smeet, ignoring the sickness bubbling up in his squeedily spooch and the amount of pain he was now in for trying his little failed experiment. With a flicker of his wrist the fabric was now wrapped around the smeet, he was trying to keep it around her like a blanket. But why? She was cold and dead.

Just like how he felt.

"Be glad that I don't have to say the usual- "_Welcome to life, Irken child. Report for duty_." – To you. This isn't the time to be apart of the Irken race."

Without another word he pushed himself off the freezing floor, eyes tightly shut to try and block out the walls that seemed to have been looming around him. He hurried towards the elevator to get out of the hatchery that now felt like an underground graveyard. Burning rage and bitter angry was now pumping through his blood stream and he wanted to stay that way. It was better than misery and sorrow… Anything was better at the moment than the misery and sorrow his mind wanted him to suffer with. Metal doors slammed shut behind him, the elevator taking him away from the horrid place.

If the Tallest had opened his eyes he would have seen one of the most beautiful sights that would have been a blessing during his time of need. If he had just waited a few more moments in the facility maybe, just maybe, he would have found that shed of hope he desperately needed. Though the smeet was still lying in the position she had been left in she had done something that was a miracle. If she had done this before Tallest Red perhaps he would have finally let himself cry, not in sorrow though, but in joy. She had done something that most did billions of times in their lifetime and usually never think about it once. It wasn't anything unique or rare, but it was that bit of a spark that could light up hope.

She breathed.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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Not as long as the last chapter, but this chapter is a big help to get me to the main point. :P

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

I hope you all have a fantastic day! :D

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	10. The First Step

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Whoa, it's been a while. Sorry it's been so long! I would like to say I've been busy, which is true, but I've also just been lazy. ;P

Reviews! Yay! :D Thanks for taking your time to type them out, you guys, I love every single review I get! The good and the bad ones, I love the feedback! This chapter isn't really filler, but it's not one of those really exciting chapters either. D; But the next chapter is gonna be good. _Real good_. It's weird though; this chapter took forever to type out. Usually I type these out real quickly, but this one was so annoying to do.

I'm coming down with the head pigeons I guess. ;P

Blah-blah/rant-rant, let me just start.

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_**The First Step**_

…

_**(Irk, Control Brains Headquarters)**_

…

"Report. What have you found?

"Tallest Miyuki, we have been through every aspect of the Control Brains and nothing is wrong. No data missing, no viruses, and nothing else of the sort. They're perfectly fine, in the same condition as always. However, we did notice something…"

"Yes?"

Purple bit back his tongue at how quickly his Tallest had let that word rush out of her mouth. Was she _trying_ to find something wrong with the Control Brains? Beady yellow eyes glanced sideways as the purple eyes turned towards him, but Advisor Spork snapped his head away when they made eye contact. The Advisor noticed instantly that Miyuki was opening and then closing her two fingered hand repeatedly, eyes gazing right through the drones before her. There was more behind this than either the Elite member or Advisor knew about the situation. Something that Miyuki did not want to indulge others in.

"The coding seems… Off, my Tallest. The internal coding, 'ya know, the very first coding that is needed to help structure the Control Brains? Something is definitely wrong with it. Terribly wrong. Well, maybe not terribly wrong, my fair Tallest Miyuki. There is still definitely something wrong with it though, the only code that is this way is the very first code ever imprinted into the system. None of the other millions of codes are made this way; it is only that one code."

"Well? What is it?"

"The first coding, it's not, well, I mean-"

"Just say it!"

"It's not in Irken!"

The Tallest, Advisor, and Elite member only stared in utter shock at the words.

How could the very first code that the Control Brains were made with, the code that was the Control Brains themselves, the code that was the very foundation of their structure- Not be in Irken?

_Not Irken_…?

"Not Irken? How can that be? The Control Brains are Irken. They belong to Irk. How can the official coding not be in Irken?"

"It is only the structure code that is not in Irken though! Everything else is! So, no worries?"

"No worries? Are you mad?! Do you understand what this means, drone?!"

"_Uhh_- No?"

"It means that the Control Brains aren't- _Wait_…"

Her harsh tone drifted away, blue eyes gazing towards the metallic doors that were firmly shut to make sure no one could get inside the room. Behind those doors was none other than the Control Brains, functioning away like they usually would with all of Irk's information buzzing through their minds. Purple felt oddly sick when her antennas bent backwards slightly, mouth twisted in a grim line across her beautiful face. Spork caught this notion also, his own face mirroring her own, trying his best to keep his composure.

"It's in a different language. If the code isn't in Irken, then what language is it in?"

"_Uhh_- _Hehe_… You see, that may be another problem. The language is actually-"

"_**Tallest Purple!**_"

…

_**(Earth, Zim's Kitchen)**_

…

Purple eyes shot open only a split second later.

Fingers automatically started typing something out across the screen of the pad within his grasp, not even looking down at the device to see what he was typing. It was just another memory from the past that he could no longer remember. He had given up on lying to himself about how his memories were just dreams, he knew better than that now. There was no point in lying to himself. Now he was keeping a list on his personal pad, recording everything that he believed would help him work things out. It was more than a month later since he had come to Earth and he still hadn't figured anything out about the situation.

His eyes drifted towards the screen for a second, reading the small list of words he had typed down.

_Not crazy._

_Missing part._

_The Irken Symbol._

_Her thoughts._

_Not Irken._

If only he had finished the rest of the memory, he would have known the language. This meant that the Control Brains weren't Irken though. Someone else had created them. Someone not Irken.

"Tallest Purple? Hey, you alright?"

Purple met brown eyes behind a pair of glasses, worry on his face easily seen. All he did was give a simple nod and a small smile, lifting up his fork to put a bit of a waffle piece into his mouth. Zim was right, waffles were really good. Who knew Gir knew how to cook? Zim was sitting directly across from Tallest Purple, one eye tugged lower than the other one in mistrust, though not voicing his thoughts. Dib was by the Tallest's left side, his eyes connecting with Zim's for a moment. It was like they were telepathically communicating with one another, neither actually wanting to say their opinions out loud.

Good. He didn't want to hear them anyway.

"You haven't been getting much sleep, my Tallest. Though Irkens are a superior race and you are almighty, you still require some sleep."

Was Zim telling him what he required?

Was this defect telling the Tallest what he _needed_?!

"_Pfft_- I've been getting loads of sleep! I'm just tired because… Because of all this food I've been eating. Yeah! Plain sugar! Zim, don't you have any actual Irken food here? A Tallest can't always snack, you know!?"

"My Tallest, Zim shall get you whatever food you desire! If it'll be food from Gleekashore or where ever, I will get you anything you want! When… When you get some real sleep, my Tallest. You need to… _Ehh_- Recharge just a bit. You won't be able to function properly if you keep this up; it's been more than a month since you've actually slept. You are suffering both mentally and physically from your lack of sleep."

Did Zim…

Did Zim just tell him what to do?

Oh. _Irk no_.

"Suffering physically? I'm suffering _physically_, _**huh**_?! Are you calling me ugly?!"

Zim flinched at his Tallest's shrill cry, shoulders lowering as he pressed his back against his chair. He just wanted to sink into the ground right now. He hadn't meant to call his Tallest ugly! It wasn't like that at all! It was just easy to tell that he was lacking sleep from the black under his eyes and… And the rage on Purple's face only made Zim slide further downwards in his chair, embarrassed by this entire situation. He just wanted his Tallest to get some rest is all. He deserved it after all.

"What's been keeping you from getting sleep?"

Before the Tallest could finish chewing out the 'invader' another voice broke into the conversation, Dib making sure to sit up as straight as he could. Purple caught the action, eyes immediately narrowing when the human tried to sit as tall as he could. This was an action usually done either during an argument or discussion between Irken citizens. He was trying to make himself taller. Dib made sure to catch Purple's gaze, mouth in a straight line, arms crossed over his chest. The Tallest almost smirked at realizing what the human was trying to do, both annoyed and amused at the same time.

He wanted to play that game, huh?

"What business of it is yours, Meatbag? Maybe I just don't wanna sleep! Ever thought about that? I'm fine! I don't need sleep! I don't need you two to constantly whine at me! I can make my own decisions! I _am_ Tallest after all!"

"Are you ever going to let us help you or do we have to let that twitch happen before you stop acting like a big baby?"

The harsh, female voice broke through his ranting, her tone dripping with venom. Gaz was leaning against the edge of the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest with a dull expression on her pale face. Zim turned his head to look at the human, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a smile that he tried to hide. The scary girl turned her attention towards the alien, her own mouth twisting into a smirk that both of them shared. Dib coughed obnoxiously, making the two break their staring contest and turn their attention back towards Tallest Purple.

There was more going on with those two than he wanted to know about.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Exactly as I said it. You're being a big baby. The only time you ever actually cooperate is when you do that weird twitch thing. Don't give me that look, everyone has noticed about that dumb twitch you have. It's like you become a totally different person when it happens. You're a mess and don't even try to argue with me about it. I promise you, you won't win. You've been here for more than a month and nothing has been fixed. I'm getting tired of Zim always whining and worrying about you. Even my own loser brother worries about you. So, are you going to cooperate with us for once or am I going to have to make you?"

'_She's right. It's been over a month since the transmission and nothing has been fixed. We- Uhh- You and I… We're still two different people when we should just be one single Irken. Something is definitely wrong. Maybe they can help. We… You- This is so difficult! I am the one who contacted Zim about helping us with the problem with Irk. Explain to them what's happening. It's time._'

'_What?! Tell them about the memories_?!'

'_And what your… Our thoughts are about the Control Brains_.'

'… _Fine_.'

"Yeah, fine, I guess I can tell you. It has been long enough."

Purple shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to ignore the nervous knot that was in his squeedily spooch. Fingers were tapping against the panel that was still within his grasp, thoughts all jumbled together and confusion ringing through his mind. Where could he start with this? "_Yeah, 'ya know, I think something is wrong with the Control Brains. Why do I think that? I dunno, maybe 'cuz Miyuki thought the same thing. Or at least I believe she did. I think I'm going crazy_." There's no way saying that would make any sense at all! He didn't know how to start this! Starting serious discussions like this was Red's job!

'_Then let me do it_.'

'_Excuse you? You can't just randomly_-'

Hand tightened dangerously around the pad within his grasp, neck twitching sideways as his purple eyes slid shut for a moment. When eyelids lifted upwards the world was still the same as when he had closed his eyes, but he was no longer the same. He felt… Sorrow. More determined. More emotional. This was power. It wasn't height that created neither power nor your position in the empire, but this. This emotion, these thoughts, all of this… This was power. This was something that he rarely felt. He was actually indulging in his negative emotion, something he never allowed himself to do.

This was being alive.

"Are you Purple or… The other Purple?"

Dib questioned, feeling rather uneasy by both his question and the nasty glare Zim sent him. The Tallest was looking through the human though, staring directly towards the other human by the doorway. Tak was standing a few feet behind Gaz, only the Tallest noticing that she was there. The two kept their eyes locked for a few moments, silence lingering on longer than anyone wanted. His eyes left the human and turned his attention towards Zim, the world now only revolving around the Tallest and defect.

"There is no 'other Purple'; I'm still the same Irken, Dib. It's just… Something is different. Something is off, which I know you guys must have noticed with every twitch. Something is wrong with me. Not just me though, there is also something wrong with the Irken Empire. I contacted you more than three months ago about taking a stand. Something is terribly wrong with Irk, Zim, something bigger than any of us can comprehend. There is something wrong with the Control Brains, they're hiding something.

My lack of sleep comes from the fact that I've been having… Old memories come back to me in my sleep. They are based around when I had been an Elite and Miyuki's personal assistant. I don't remember anything else from my past though, no matter how hard I try I can't remember anything. Smeethood, the academy, training… Nothing. I can't remember my past on my own, it's impossible for me too. Everything that keeps coming back is Miyuki and how she obsessed about the Control Brains. There's something behind all of this, I know it."

"Are you crazy?! What if these memories aren't really memories, but just your-"

"My Tallest, what exactly in your memories does it show that she thought something was wrong with the Control Brains? Can you tell us about how Miyuki was acting?"

Tak interrupted Dib, slipping herself into a chair by her Tallest's side, gaze never leaving his face. The human passed her a shocked expression, but he didn't voice his opinion. It was easy to tell that the human thought what Purple was saying was insane. Tak though… She believed him. The way she was leaning towards him with interest shining in her eyes was one of the easy signs to tell that she was actually listening to his story. Zim had one eye ridge tugged upwards; hand over his mouth, almost having an emotionless look in his face. There was something flaring in his eyes though and if Purple didn't know any better, he would have thought that emotion stirring through him was hope.

Did Zim also think something was wrong with the Empire?

"There haven't been too many recurring memories, but from every memory it's obvious that she thought something was wrong. She was disgusted by the Irken symbol every time she saw an image of it, almost like she knew something was wrong with the Empire. When I was younger I had asked her about what her issue is and she said only everything in her thoughts. I think… Everyone thought that she was going crazy, but she wasn't. She knew something was wrong with the Control Brains."

"Did she ever find a problem with the Control Brains, my Tallest?"

Purple paused a moment to think about the question, purple meeting magenta orbs.

"The origin code of the Control Brains isn't in Irken."

"_**What**_?!"

Spat out both of the other two Irkens at the table, both whipping their heads to glare at one another in annoyance. Tak let her eyes narrow when Zim stiffened his back upwards, making sure to remind Tak who the taller one was between them. Purple visibly flinched at this action, feeling nausea over the fact that height was playing into the Irken race once more.

"Origin code?"

"Yes, Dib, the origin code. The origin code is the very first code any machine is created with, whether just a simple S.I.R Unit or the Massive itself. The Control Brains are an Irken creation; they are the ones that hold everything that is Irk. The Control Brains are Irk. However, their origin code isn't in Irken, meaning that someone else must have created the brains."

"What language is it in?"

"I don't know. I was woken up right before the memory could finish. What I do know is that something is very wrong with the Control Brains and the Irken Empire. Miyuki knew that also from what I can remember. If only there was a way to look into her thoughts and know for certain though…"

"Are you certain something is wrong?"

"You doubt your Tallest?! Zim, I should knock you in the-"

The Tallest bit his bottom lip roughly, stopping himself in order to not finish his sentence.

'_Keep calm. This isn't the time for a fight. They're trying to help us… You. They're trying to help, Tallest Purple_.'

'_Tallest Purple? Is that what you're referring to me now like we're not the same Irken? Okay, other self, what do you want me to call you then? Annoying Purple_?'

'_Overlord will do nicely_.'

"I know something is wrong. I wouldn't go through this much effort if I didn't believe something was wrong. I would have never contacted _you_ if I wasn't a hundred percent sure that something was wrong. The Irken Empire is in great danger. The Irken Empire needs you."

The group at the table sat in silence, none of them knowing how to respond to his words. He was so emotional about this issue that there was no way he was lying. What if this was nothing though? What if these were just dreams that he was having? It wasn't uncommon that a Tallest would get stressed out; maybe he was just beginning to go insane. Zim turned his head towards Gaz once more, both of them simply gazing at each other, no emotion on their features. After many moments of silence the female human gave the Irken a nod.

She believed Tallest Purple.

"Whatever happened to Miyuki's Pak after the… You know?"

On the outside Purple looked completely calm by Tak's question, trying to not let the boiling rage take over him right now. Zim's stupid blob he had created years ago had eaten her whole, along with Spork in the same week. The creature had spit out both of their Paks though; apparently it only had a sick craving for flesh and blood, not wires and metal. It just another thing that Zim had messed up and the defect didn't even realize it. The entire Empire was filled with defects like him! Maybe not as bad, but still! Why was he even wasting his time to-?

'_I said keep calm. We need Zim's help in this situation_.'

'_Don't say that_.'

'_What? We do need_-'

'_I said don't say that_!'

"Her Pak should be within the Massive in one of the chambers. I have no idea which room, I do know for a fact that both Spork's and her Pak is located on the Massive. Every Tallest ever to exist with a Pak has and will have their Paks placed onto the Massive. I do know that you have to be a Tallest to get into the chamber though since the door needs a blood sample, but that's all I know. Why?"

"You keep having memories that are surrounded by the Miyuki person, right? Maybe if you were able to get her Pak you could look into her memories. The issue with the Control Brains and the secret behind them might still be in her old memories. Get her Pak, bring it back to Earth, and we can all look into it to see what they're hiding."

The Tallest blinked slowly at Gaz, face solemn for a few moments.

Then a couple seconds later he was laughing hysterically.

The group looking around at each other in confusion, not knowing what to make of Purple's psychotic laughter. It was neither mocking nor even condescending, it was humor. He was actually amused by the idea that Gaz had presented. A minute later he was calming down, hand against his mid-section like his squeedily spooch was going to burst at any moment.

"Oh, that was a good laugh. You can't possibly be serious."

"Duh, moron, of course I was. Just go onto the Massive and steal her Pak."

The twitch Purple had was more violent than usual, humor fading away into utter shock, his composure now broken.

"Are you crazy?! Can Earthlings be defective?! I'm a Tallest, not some soldier! What? Do you just think I can bust into the Massive, start doing cool back flips and cartwheels, and slip into the chamber like that? I don't even know where the chamber is! I can't just get her Pak and bring it back to Earth! I'm not trained for that! I'm a Tallest!"

'_Way to stay calm_.'

'_Shut up_!'

"Not trained? _You_- You jumped out of a window to escape from that robot! You took control of the Voot Cruiser and maneuvered it like a pro! You were bleeding to death and you still had piloted that ship like you've done it hundreds of times! How can you not be trained to just go onto the Massive and take her Pak?! Just go and do it!"

"Because that wasn't _Tallest_ Purple who had done all of that, was it?"

It wasn't really a question, more of a statement.

The Tallest opened his mouth to yell at the top of his lungs at Zim, but furious rage died away when they made eye contact. There wasn't any sort of disappointment or annoyance clouding his features, it was almost like he… Understood. It wasn't a Tallest's job to be trained as a soldier ready for combat, that's why there were Elite members and invaders. It was their job to pilot a Voot Cruiser and to fight off psychotic robots. A Tallest was never made to do that kind of combat, they were there to rule Irk and all of the citizens on and off the planet. Did Zim understand that? No… That was impossible though, how could a moron like Zim understand something like that? There was no way that idiot could!

But… It was there on his face. He understood. For the first time in his life, Zim was looking through someone else's eyes.

Whoa. Just… _Whoa_.

"Big Headed Dib, don't you ever tell the Tallest again to put him in a dangerous situation like that. The Irken Empire almost lost him once; Zim shall not stand for twice. There is still both danger on Irk and the Massive, someone is after Tallest Purple. That unit may still be out there still trying to get him or some other alien race that had attacked Irk on… _That day_. He's the Tallest, that's why there are soldiers and invaders to protect him. Such as Tak and I. _Err_- Well; such as the almighty Zim, Tak is kinda useless."

"Zim! How dare you insult-"

"Not now, Tak! The tall Irkens are talking!"

Tak's trigger finger twitched, baring her teeth at the sight of Zim's sadistic smile. _Ohh_- How she hated that defect! Out of all the Irkens, it had to be _him_ that got that extraordinary height! Wait till the Tallest was gone, then she'd get her revenge!

"What can we do then, huh, Zim? The chamber will only open for a Tallest!"

"No, it will open for a Tallest's blood sample."

It only took a second for everyone to get the idea Zim was forming in is own crazy mind.

"Zim, no, you can't! That's one of the dumbest things you've ever said, and let me tell you, you say REALLY dumb things! You can't just slip onto the Massive and get the Pak! You don't even know where the chamber is! You were there when that robot tried to attack us; you won't stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat with that machine!"

"Eh. Zim will take Gir along, Dib-Human."

"Oh, yeah, because Gir is such a big help."

The group turned their attention towards the stove, where Gir was making cupcakes out of vanilla beans, mash potatoes, and chicken feathers. He was giggling insanely to himself, muttering words that the group really didn't want to hear. When the small unit noticed the group watching him, he waved cheerfully at them, hand covered with gravy and bob wire. Zim gave a grunt at the sight of his unit, tilting his head to the side like this was a normal occurrence.

Well, this kinda was a normal thing for Gir.

"If getting Miyuki's Pak will help to look into the Control Brains, then Zim shall complete that mission! The almighty Zim needs NO ONE!"

"I'm going with you."

The 'invader' whipped his head around towards Gaz, a snarl crossing over his lips.

"An Irken doesn't need some _hyu-man_ to join along in a mission!"

"I'm not asking."

"Scary-Gazling, Zim is not-!"

"_**I'm not asking**_."

"… Yeah, fine. Gir only listens to you anyway."

"Yay! Friends! Who wants a cupcake?!"

Purple gaped at Zim, the invader refusing to even glance over at the direction his Tallest was sitting. He knew that he just allowed some Earthling to join him along with this mission. She may be useful though and it wasn't like he had anyone else that could go with him. Gir was kind of useless, there was no way in Tallest Spork's name that he would trust Tak to be by his side, and Zim had other plans in store for Big-Headed Dib.

"Zim, you can't just get onto the Massive and steal Tallest Miyuki's Pak. That's insane and nearly impossible! I'm missing from the Empire! Don't you get it? Red probably has security up to the highest it can be, the donuts are probably even being guarded by now! This plan is-"

"We need a blood sample to complete this mission!"

"Did… Did you even hear a single word that I just said?"

"Eh? Did you say something, my Tallest?"

Purple grit his teeth, jaw locking in place in order to not let himself yell at the top of his lungs. He should just let Zim take on this mission; either way would work out in his favor. If Zim succeeded, he would obtain Miyuki's Pak and they would be able to access her old memories. They would be able to uncover what exactly was her problem with the Control Brains and if she ever figured out what the issue was with the Empire. However, if Zim wasn't prepared for the Massive being fully secured with Elite members and other Irken soldiers that no one wished to face, only one thing would happen. He would die.

So, really, he would win in this situation no matter what.

'_You disgust me_.'

'_Shut up! Your turn is over_!'

"Fine, I'll give you a blood sample. Only if someone other than you takes the shot for it though."

"I can do it for you, my Tallest."

Tak spoke up, holding back an evil grin that was trying to form when Zim passed her an annoyed look. The Irken turned his attention back towards his Tallest, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Do you not trust Zim to take the shot for you?!"

"No."

The defect grumbled under his breath at the instant response he was given, arms crossed over his chest like a pitiful smeet. He pushed himself out of his seat, heading towards the direction that Gaz was at. Magenta glared at the human's face, both nearly snarling at each other. Zim whipped his head over his shoulder to narrow his eyes at Dib, snapping his fingers to catch his attention.

"Nasty, hideous meatbag- Zim has a task for you to do that is of the up most importance to do while Gaz and I prepare for the Massive."

Glasses fell to the bridge of his nose, mouth falling open, slamming his hand against the table.

"What? _**WHAT**_?! You think I'm going to stay here on Earth while you take my sister all the way up to the Massive? Zim, that's not fair and you know it! You know that I want to go to the Massive and it would be easier for me to hack into the systems! I haven't even gotten to put a single foot onto the Massive!"

At his sister's raised eyebrow he nervously coughed, waving his hand around the air in circles.

"-And Gaz is my sister, I can't just have you taking her up into space without my protection."

"Shut up, loser."

Gaz said after his comment, shaking her head in disappointment at his response. Zim said nothing for a few moments, a smirk tugging at one side of his mouth before he opened his mouth to simply say-

"You'll be in complete control over something more important than the Massive itself."

Something more important than the Massive?

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Tallest Purple."

Zim and Gaz were gone right after his final words.

"What? Zim- _Zim_! What do you mean I have control over the Tallest?!"

"Yeah? What does THAT mean? Huh?! _ZIM_?!"

Both Dib and Tallest Purple knocked over their chairs when they ran out of the kitchen to catch up to the other two, pushing each other to reach the doorway before the other. When they got out of the kitchen there was no Zim or Gaz, the front door wide open. Purple sighed loudly, sneering when he noticed that Dib was frowning over at him. He pointed one of his two fingers at him dangerously, leaning downwards to glare directly at the human's face.

"Don't touch me."

The venom dripping from his tone was enough of a warning.

"Of course, Tallest!"

"Good."

Purple was then gone, leaving Dib to stand dumbfounded by himself.

What had just happened?

…

(_**Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters**_)

…

"-_**Central, Left has been completely removed. There is no communication signal available. There is no connection line. There is no longer a control link**_.-"

"-**Control will be lost on Planet Vort. There is no doubt that the Vortian race is experiencing changes right now. Chaos shall reign over them and very soon us. The race should have been built with the chips like the Irken race. I warned both Left and you years ago of the situation that would happen. Your race shall be next**.-"

"-_**Impossible. Meekrob is above such disgrace. That is why they have ultimate energy. Their control is of the up-most importance for both honor and their lives**_.-"

"-**Denial is a form of defectiveness, Right. You and I knew that this day was going to arise. They shall be crushed down by the Irken Empire.**-"

"-_**Not if the Irken Empire destroys itself first. Your chips are fill of faults. This has been proven many times**_.-"

"-**Perhaps. However, when you are taken out, which shall be very soon, they will all implode on themselves when they cannot control their own energy**.-"

"-_**At least they are being destroyed by me own and not their own race like the Irkens**_.-"

"-**Hmm- Pathetic. You still do not understand how to properly control an entire race. Left was for utter control set on one being and you in giving your race everything so there would not be just one person in control. Give one everything, the whole family shall want. Give the entire family everything and they will strive for nothing. You must give and take the perfect amount for the perfect race. Both of you are wrong and your races shall fall for your ignorance**.-"

"-_**We shall see which race is the perfect race**_.-"

"-**It is about time that our game has finally begun**.-"

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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And that's it for now!

Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a fantastic day, everyone, hopefully I update very soon! :D

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	11. Crazy In The Air

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EVERYTHING will make sense in the end, I promise! Come on, a story isn't good without some questions involved. ;P

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/anything else that you have given me! I'm still a little amazed that an idea I had at five in the morning for a single chapter has turned into _this_. Thanks again, everyone, every review and favorite means a lot to me! :D

Let's begin.

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_**Crazy In The Air**_

…_**  
>(Planet Irk, Control Brains Headquarters, Fifth Floor)<strong>_

…

She was crying.

Oh, by the past Tallest Miyuki, she was crying.

_**Irkens don't cry**_!

"Please, listen to me- We have to get out of here! We won't survive if we stay!"

Lime green eyes narrowed dangerously, antennas bending flat against her head in a defensive position. She had never felt this sort of pain in her life. It wasn't the Irken way to be so emotionally distressed, it wasn't emotions that controlled you, it was power. It was raw and majestic power that obtained everything, not some pitiful emotions. Her knees began to crumble under the weight of everything; strong hands gripped her forearms to keep her from collapsing. She wished she could though, how much easier it would be just to fall to her knees and cry.

"_No. No, no, no… We can't_-"

"Damnit, Gig! Look at everything around us!"

"It's not that bad-"

"Not that bad? _**Not that bad**_?!"

She flinched at his harsh tone, her eyes making contact with the pair of gray eyes, only to regret the decision a nanosecond later. Through her tears she still caught the rage and disgust marked over the Commander's features, fingers dug through the white fabric of her uniform. Rage. Disgust. Pain. Large amounts of pain that was both physical and mental. Those soldiers that had been beaten and tortured before her very eyes.

Tallest Red.

A sob escaped from deep within the back of her throat.

"The power supply is going to run out soon. We are already in chaos with the lack of power we have now, let alone when we actually run out of all if it. The Control Brains are destroyed with no way to repair them. Our Pak information, our history, and even our lives are completely gone. Tallest Purple is gone and hasn't been seen in over two months. Our birthing facilities are no longer functioning. Our population will decline very soon with what Tallest Red is about to make our soldiers and invaders do. There is no way we'll be able to populate in time; we haven't done a natural birth since Tallest Tangelo had been in rule…"

"We can't just-"

"He's starting the operation today."

"Commander-"

"_**He's starting Plan Dust today, Gig**_!"

"_**We can't just leave our home planet, Sic!"**_

Her shrill cry shocked him for a few moments, fingers loosening their grasp on the arms of his lover. Sobs raked through her thin body, hands covering her green face to hide her misery. With one muscular arm the Commander pulled the Advisor against his chest, his own desperation matching her own. Her fist slammed against his chest, hissing when she hurt her hand more than she had hurt her mate. Her eyes burned from all the hot tears trailing down her face, logic clouding with need.

They needed to leave.

They needed to stay on their home planet to make sure their Tallest would be protected.

"We'll be prisoners if we stay, Gig. We have to leave."

"We can't just leave the Tallest and our home."

"Our Tallest isn't the same as he once was and our other Tallest is gone. This isn't our home anymore, Gig."

"_**This is our home! We leave here and so does the rest of our race! Our entire lives have been spent here and only here! This is the planet that has built us and most of the universe! We can't just leave it for our own pleasure! That's not the Irken way! Are we Irken or are we not?!**_"

Words screamed and sorrow was no longer masked behind a clam demeanor.

"_Do you really want to be an Irken at this point_?"

The only answer he was given was Gig slipping to her knees.

…

_**(Planet Earth, Zim's Base, Lab)**_

…

Gir was shaking.

Dib had no idea what to do when the small unit started shaking uncontrollably. He had been playing with a taco dressed up in Barbie clothing when he just started acting crazy. Not his usual crazy though, that crazy he could handle. This was- _Scary_. Tallest Purple gave a girly squeal when Gir started violently twitching, head banging from side to side and arms moving away. Both the human and Tallest just gazed in shock until Gir suddenly just stopped a few moments later, chin falling against his chest.

What? Did Gir just…?

Tallest Purple scoffed, though fear still marked his features.

"He was going to break someday, I mean, I only made that stupid unit outta some stuff I found. It's not like-"

The unit whipped his head off his chest a split second later.

An eerie silence lingered through the laboratory as the unit was glancing over his body like he had never seen himself before. A sneer crossed the robot's face at the sight of his body, disgusted by the sight of his small figure. His eyes began to wander over the equipment, lights flickering within the dim room that only had Dib, tallest Purple, and Gir in it. Blue eyes immediately froze on the sight of Tallest Purple, narrowed eyes analyzing every part of him. Confusion became fear, the human having no idea what to do in this situation. Did Gir just reset his own data base or something?

"_**Are you hurt, my Tallest**_?"

His breath caught in his throat.

That wasn't Gir's annoying voice. Instead what came out with smooth, slightly deep words, almost as though the unit speaking was of a higher intelligence level. That's not what scared the Tallest though.

He knew that voice.

"Gir?"

"_**Are you hurt, Purple**_?"

Antennas went far back against his head in a defensive pose.

The unit ignored its' own name.

"Yeah, of course I'm fine. We've been together this entire time, Gir. What? You finally make yourself snap or something, huh? Too many tacos?"

Fake laughter died down before it even had the chance to come out.

This wasn't Zim's defective unit Gir.

"Just- _Who are you_?"

"_**I have failed you once before, my Tallest, never twice must something negative happen. I am coming for you, do not worry. This time I shall not fail you, Purple**_."

The unit's head fell downwards once more against his chest, not moving for a few seconds. When the head was lifted back up Gir was giggling like crazy, grabbing the taco in front of him. He started playing with his 'toy' once more, not acting like anything weird had just happened to him. Dib's face was a mixture between dread and absolute fear, hand gripping the front of his shirt like his heart was going to pop out any moment. Purple slowly blinked his eyes, two fingered hands unlatching from their grasp. He was shocked, but not scared. He was… Was he…?

Yes. He actually felt calm, almost relieved by what the unit had said. It was completely insane, he knew, but that voice… He knew. Tallest Purple knew that voice from somewhere; it was the voice of a friend from long ago.

'_Pfft- You're crazy_!'

'_Oh, yeah. I'm the crazy one when you have two personalities. Yup. Completely me_.'

'_Shut up_.'

"That was weird. Anyway, so, what was it that stoopid Zim wanted you to tell me?"

"_But_- _I_- _That just_- _What_? _What_?! Are you just going to ignore what had just-?"

"The plans, meatbag! Come on, I don't got all day! Chop, chop!"

Dib gaped at him like a goldfish removed form its bowl, but started talking right afterwards. What the heck was wrong with everyone today? Was crazy in the air or something?! If it was, well-

It was probably too late to save himself from it anyway.

…

(_**One Day Later, Planet Irk, Through The Cities**_)

…

Construction blared, drones yelling to one another with instructions easily heard, and Irkens of all sorts still talking about the disasters that had happened to their loved planet. Worries of tallest Purple spoken softly, fears of Tallest Red whispered, and silence of corruption never leaving anyone's lips. Planet Mortika was passing the planet's orbit, making the sky a dark purple. Nighttime was supposed to be peaceful for everyone. It wasn't though and it hadn't been since Purple had been taken.

Irken citizens were rushing every where to see if any of Irk's problems could be solved by their hands. Hands that didn't even try hard enough to save their planet. They were just pretending to actually care about their planet, but they didn't. With the way they all were acting there was no way that any of them wanted to really save their planet. Irk was an empire that was collapsing on itself and no one even realized it, except their leader. It had only been him to realize it and it would always be him. Just him. No one else.

A pair of red eyes gave a long, slow blink.

Then the screams came.

"What's happening?!"

"Why are the invaders off their invading planets?!"

Invaders and Elite members alike marched through the streets, lasers and spider-legs out and prepared to fire at any who dared to fight. Irkens were made to fight enemies, not their own race. You were a defect if you fought against your race, which none of them were. They weren't defective. They were Irken. Yet Elite members pulled their triggers at every citizen who tried resisting, wounding some, killing others. Though there were only thousands of Irkens below that the Tallest could see from his hovering platform, their screams made them sound like that there were millions. Perhaps billions.

Another blink.

"_Attention- Irken citizens! Attention! Irk is under a national planetary lockdown! Everyone must go in doors to the nearest building possible! Stay calm, everything is under control! Please do not resist or you will be marked down as defective! Every one that is marked down shall be given the punishment of execution! Plan Dust is now activating! Repeat- Plan Dust is now activating!_"

The announcement was barley heard over the roaring cries and lasers beaming away. Irkens were being shoved into the nearest building that was by them, fear clouding their faces. A blue eyed drone cried out as he reached a hand out towards a purple eyed, curly antenna Irken, her own hand reaching for his. Their finger tips brushed before two large shoulders gripped the male, pulling him away from what the Tallest perceived as his mate. He was shoved through a metallic door as the other drone was carried away, mouth opened wide though no words leaving her lips.

"_Plan Dust has been authorized by the Tallest. Every Irken except those who were personally appointed will be kept stationed indoors until further notice. At least two soldiers will be placed in every sector. A solider will always be with an individual or a group, there will always be a soldier there… For your safety. Force fields are being placed all around to keep yo- Enemies out. Irk had been hailed from planet… Sekaroo not very long ago, they planning on an attack against Irk. We are trying our best to protect everyone with the lack of energy our planet has._

_Only certain individuals will be able to step outside anytime in order to maintain peace. A warning signal will go off if someone that is not the chosen individual goes outside. This lockdown will not be kept for long; it'll only remain till the situation is fixed. Do not resist. Do not go outside unless permitted. We are trying our best to solve the issue."_

Everyone was now within the buildings, city completely empty expect for the Tallest that was hovering high above his planet. Eyes narrowed to the remote in his grasp, only a single, red button on the small object. He raised his other hand to press the button, but hesitation overtook his actions, worry and fear clouding his eyes for a moment. Was this the right choice? Should he do this? How would this affect his people? This-

This is what had to happen to gain control over his chaotic planet.

"_This is all for your safety. Do not panic. Everything is alright_."

The Tallest pressed the button.

All of the glorious colors that the city glowered with were now gone, all of the lights shutting off in a split moment. Within a few seconds buildings were lit up with a dull red, sparks flickering here and there off the electrical fields. Dim purple lined streets and corners, lights not bright enough to help see in such a dark night like this. That didn't matter though; the lights weren't there to be flashy. They were there for extra security measures. Measures that should have been taken before his planet had been attacked and placed in a situation such as this one.

Lanes were now completely empty. Lively voices and musical sounds now gone. Majestic structures were now haunting towers that loomed over the planet. Ships weren't zooming overhead the planet, for every Elite member and invader were inside guarding citizens from escape. Metallic no longer reflected neon colors, instead the two simple colors of red and purple. Futuristic features no longer mattered for that fact that they appeared to be worse than a third-world country.

That wasn't far from the truth.

Is this the way that he should take control? There must be other means of finding Purple and fixing everything! This was complete madness, if he tried to work though this-

Eyes blinked once more.

And then he twitched.

No, this was the right choice.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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Thanks for reading!

Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day, you guys! I'll update soon! :D

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	12. Operation: PIG (Without Dying)

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So, about me lying to myself about updating more often? :P

Hey, everyone! I hope all of you have been doing great! I've been extremely busy/incredibly busy, sorry for not updating this chapter sooner! I can already tell that this is going to be the longest fanfic I will ever do, but I'm hoping to finish before I head off to Boot Camp. This story _**WILL**_ be finished though; I'm not just going to leave it hanging like some other people do.

Lol clam demeanor, silly last chapter. Maybe one of these chapters I'll actually read over my grammar mistakes and fix them?

Nah. My demeanor is too _clam_ for that.

Reviews, favorites, followers, and more reviews! I love it! All of you are the best, I wish I could explain to you how much everything you guys do for me means to me! :D I'd love to send you all your own defective S.I.R Unit, but sadly, I cannot. :(

Here's another chapter though, that'll be enough, right?

… Right?

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_**Operation: P.I.G (Without Dying)**_

…

_**(Planet Earth, Zim's Base, Top Floor)**_

…

"How did you get rid of Gir though?!"

"Duh. I threw him in the oven."

Zim glanced away from his improved Voot Cruiser, sneering at the Earthling while watching a wrench at her. She tilted her head back in defiance, sitting comfortably on one of the seats of the ship, legs dangling over the front dashboard. Black armor covered every inch of her body, from her steel toe boots to the metal plates that were attached to her shoulders. She was spinning a laser gun on her index finger by the trigger, holster on her left thigh. By the hostler, a taser, on the other thigh throwing knives, then some weird looking neon green knife that was about six inches long, brass knuckles attached to her gloves, and so forth. Gaz could open a weapon store with all the weapons on her right now.

He really had made sure that she was fully prepared for this mission.

"Zim's oven better not be ruined, Meatbag. That'll be the third one this month."

"You aren't even going to ask about if Gir is alright?"

Dull magenta eyes didn't match the smirk on his face.

"One of that stupid unit's favorite hobbies is exploding. He's fine."

Gaz gave a single nod, fingers trailing along the side of the chair, eyeing the Voot Cruiser that had once been. Zim did an extremely good job with fixing up this ship, no doubt. It ran faster, more weapons were placed into the systems, tracking remarkable- He did a wonderful job. The human glanced away from the panels on the ship's dashboard, making eye contact with Zim. She hissed at the look of annoyance marking his face, leaning upwards to glare at him over the front of the ship.

"What?"

"Why does stubborn Gazling have to come along with the almighty Zim? Why not stay here on Earth with your pathetic brother?"

She shrugged, going back to twirling the laser gun, Purple's vial of blood dangling off her neck next to the skull pendant.

"Dib is stupid, but he'll be fine. His big head will protect him from whatever fall he takes."

"_Haha_- His head_ is_ big, isn't it?"

The two shared at mocking laugh, though laughter ended a few moments later like it had never happened at all. They never broke their gazes from one another, Zim still working on the ship without even needing to look at it.

"Why are you coming along?"

"Why do I have all these weapons?"

"Why didn't you offer your disgusting brother to come along instead?!"

"Why am I the one carrying Purple's blood sample?!"

"Why didn't scary, little Gazling just stay out of this entire situation?!

"_Why am I made to wear all this armor when Dib didn't have to_?!"

"_**Your life is worth more than his filthy life, Earthling**_!"

It was only after his cry that the two realized they were mere centimeters from each other's face. Gaz was completely leaning out of the Voot Cruiser, a single hand holding the window pane to keep her in place. Zim left his position entirely, standing up with his face right up against her own face, rage marking all over his green features. She was no longer angry after his cry, actually looking shocked for the first time in her life at what someone had said. The Irken sneered at the expression on the human's face, raged breaths dying down as he bent downwards to start his work again.

"What?"

"_**What**_?"

All that Zim received for his question was silence.

"_**WHAT**_?!"

"What you just said."

"What did I just say?"

"What? You just said it!"

"When Zim said what?"

"What? No! The other thing!"

"When I called you scary? Because you really are, Gaz. You scare everyone, including puppies."

"**NO**. **ZIM**. The part about my life being more important than Dib's life!"

"Oh. Yeah. What about it?"

He grumbled, twisting his head awkwardly to see under the ship, passing it a look of disgust at a wire that was broken. Stupid ship, took it out one time after its first repairs and it was ruined in all sorts of different places.

"Why me? Why not Dib? …Is this why you're letting me leave with you for this mission?"

"Zim would leave with or without you, Gaz; preferably without you. You are too stubborn for me and I have no time to fight with you. But since you are here with the ah-so perfect Irken that I am, let me explain it so your little Earthling brain may understand. You're very scary, Gaz, as Zim has said zillions of times to you. You are not just Scary Monkey Show scary, oh no, you are intelligently scary. You terrify every single creature that passes you. If you want revenge, you get revenge. That is a trait that every Irken admires, fear and power is what helps our race to obtain all the planets in the galaxy.

Your brother may be also smart, but he's a whiner. You two may possess better qualities than the race of the idiotic, disgusting human meaties, there's more to you though. Dib wants to save his so-called 'fellow man', you don't do things for anyone, you do them for yourself. Raw power, intelligent, never backing down from any threat- Gazling, you are the only creature that has ever matched the Irken Race, you would have been an invader if you had been born Irken."

She thought she had stopped breathing for a few moments.

"That, and you know how to control Gir. Automatically better. Stupid ship! Why will you not just fix yourself by the wonderful Zim's commands?! _TELL ME_!"

The Irken began ranting to his unresponsive ship, grunting as he punched it, realizing that he hurt himself more than the ship. Gaz leaned back against the chair, no longer hovering over the side of the ship to gaze at the alien. No one had ever spoken about her scariness as a positive thing. No one had ever told her that she was better than her intelligent, worldly brother, not even dad. No one had actually ever said anything that nice to her. That was probably the best compliment she had ever received her entire life.

There was no way that Zim liked her for her though, could he? Could Zim actually like someone other than himself?

"Hey, Zim?"

"What?"

"We're best friends, right, Zim?"

"Duh."

He paused a few moments after his response, eyes popping wide open when he realized _exactly_ what he had said back.

"No! I mean _**NO**_! You are a disgusting Earthling and Zim shall take over your planet one day, Meatbag! I will make your entire race into slaves for the Irken Empire! _**Muhahaha**_!"

He tilted his neck upwards when he felt something cold pressed up against the top of his head, the laser gun now pointed between his eyes. Gaz kept a neutral expression on her pale face, a wicked grin tugging at the sides of the alien's mouth. She really would have been a perfect invader if she had been born as an Irken. Perhaps even a Commander. Maybe.

"However, when that day does come for Zim, you will be no slave. Perhaps the Tallests would be willing to have you as a secret agent to infiltrate Earthlings that will try to rise up against the Irken Empire."

"Promise me that I'll never be a slave."

"Zim does not make promises to gross-!"

She cocked the gun.

"I promise you'll never be a slave."

"Good."

A few seconds later Gir came rolling into the room on his back, a white sunhat on the top of his head that wasn't coming off. He stopped rolling when he reached the other two, glancing upwards at the sight of the gun pointed at his master. His eyes flashed scarlet as though he was going into duty mood, but quickly disappeared back to blue when he giggled insanely. Zim sneered, pushing the gun away from him with one hand while lifting himself off the ground with the other.

"What's on your head?!"

"The beaver tried to steal my cupcakes, so I glued a sunhat to my head so he wouldn't get them!"

"How are you going to get your cupcakes with the hat on your head then, Gir?"

The ridiculous look was still plastered to his face until many delayed seconds later, what Gaz said finally kicking in. He began screaming, running towards the flame thrower that was at the other side of the room, apparently the only way to remove the hat from his head. Zim opened his mouth to yell at his unit but simply closed it a moment later, sighing obnoxiously. His Tallests years ago had told him that Gir was an advanced unit, but sometimes he wondered if they were wrong.

Of course they weren't! They were his Tallests!

"Is everything ready for the trip?"

"Blood sample, snacks, weapons, coordinates, medical pack, Game Slaves one through seven are packed, Massive is locked onto the target screen, duck tape incase Gir does something- Yes. Everything is-"

"_**AHHH! THE PAIN! MY CUPCAKE IS ON FIRE**_!"

"-In order for Operation: P.I.G, without dying."

"Operation: P.I.G, without dying?"

"Operation: Pilot Into Galaxy, without dying. Zim shall get Gir, get buckled in."

Gaz slipped herself into the seat by the captain's chair, smirking at the sight of Zim chasing Gir around with a fire extinguisher. She had a few minutes to relax to herself until raged breaths were heard, cracking an eye open to see Zim toss Gir into to storage area of the ship. The little unit looked like he was sleeping, chains, duck tape, and bard wire wrapped around his body. The Irken was wiping white foam off his uniform while he slipped into the captain's chair, mumbling Irken curse words under his breath. One eye tugged higher than the other at seeing the Earthling gazing at him, a half smirk on her lips.

"What?"

"I'm glad we're best friends, Zim, whether you like it or not. No other alien I'd want to be friends with."

All the alien did was smirk.

"I know. If Zim had to make an Earthling companion- I'm glad it was scary you."

…

_**(Planet Earth, Zim's Base, Lab)**_

…

"You're insane."

"We have to do this."

"The Tallest doesn't have to do anything! How dare Zim suggest something as idiotic as _**this**_?!"

"This isn't my fault, Tak! Come on, it's the only way! Zim said this will work perfectly!"

"You're crazy."

"He is insane, my Tallest! Completely insane and more of a fool than I thought! And what is this doesn't work, huh, Dib? What is this somehow completely ruins the Tallest's Pak? What if he comes out damaged because of this? How can you just think that I'll just sit here and watch you do this to him?!"

"God, Tak! This isn't my fault! Please, this is the only way we can look into his memories, Zim's scared to connect him to the base computer incase enemies are watching right now! I'm only going in to see the memories that we need too, nothing else!"

"Those are _**HIS**_ memories, not yours, human!"

"You're crazy."

"You already said that."

"No, you're really crazy. Incredibly crazy. Insane. Psycho. More crazy than Zim quitting banishment, more crazy than that stupid unit Zim has, more crazy than Lard Nar picking the name 'Resisty' for his ship. You're so insane that-"

Silence lingered for a few seconds until Dib barley heard above a whisper-

"_That even Zim would be jealous of how crazy you are_."

"_**I'm not that crazy**_! _**I'll never be THAT crazy**_! _**Me being as insane as Zim would be like my head being big**_!"

Dib glanced over his shoulder after his shrill cry, eyes narrowing at the mocking looks on both Tak and Tallest Purple's face, frowning slightly.

"Which it's _not_."

"Whatever, Big-head."

"Dib, out of all the humans on this filthy planet, I at least have some ounce of respect for you. You know that I can't let you do this to the Tallest."

"It's the only way, Tak; I wouldn't do this if this wasn't our only option. It's simple enough, all I have to do is put this around my head…"

As he said the words Dib's hands gripped the circular, metal band, mouth twisting into a slightly frown at the object. There were four sharp points sticking out from each side of the circle, they were access points that would go through his head to open a passage way into his skull. That wasn't what scared him; it was the blue wires imbedded into the device that terrified him. Zim had already told him it was going to feel like he was going to be electrocuted by 1000 watts of energy before he started laughing like the manic he was.

Yeah, what a great friend he was.

"The… _**Ahem**_- The entry points will go through the top of my head, where I will have my brain started up with an electrical current. This cord…"

With his other free hand he tugged the cord that was connected in the Tallest's Pak, Purple grunting at the slight pain at the tug. Annoying meatbag.

"Will start up when there is enough energy going through my brain that it activates my brain waves to match Purple's energy level in his Pak. What should happen is that when our levels hit the matching point my thoughts will be able to enter Purple's through this power line. Zim said that your Pak is pretty much like a computer, if you can watch videos on a computer, you should be able to with your Pak. He said it's just simple technology is all.

You're going to be put to sleep in order to start up your memories for me to enter them. You won't be awake for this process and it should be completely painless for you. Since you'll be sleeping longer than usual, maybe we'll be able to see enough information to realize just what the problem is."

"So, yeah, I got a question."

Purple sneered, leaning forward on his knees that were propped up on the medical table, looking smaller than he really was. _Pfft_- He was Tallest, it wasn't like he had to look taller, 'cuz, you know, he was the tallest one around. Other than Red, but he didn't count right now. Brown eyes glanced around from the band within his hand, blinking his eyes a few times in confusion.

"Yes?"

"The energy has to match the level of my Pak, right?"

"Right."

"Uh-huh, yeah, okay. And what if it doesn't? What if it goes over the limit? Do you have to take off the band and redo everything? I kind of want you to poke yourself with those sharp ends twice is all. I think it'll be funny. Ha!"

The mocking expression was quickly wiped off his face when the human didn't even crack a smile, hands paling at how tightly he was gripping the band. The female Irken frowned herself; curious over why Dib didn't even give a fake laugh. He would at least pretend to find the Tallest funny just to please Purple.

"I was kidding! _Jeez_- What alien crawled into your meaty organs and died there?"

"I knew that you were kidding, sorry, Tallest Purple! I wasn't trying to be mean-"

"So, what happens when the level accidentally goes over, Big-head?"

"It's nothing-"

"_**Dib**_."

Both Irken and human paused at the sound of the Tallest's tone, never in his life had Dib heard his name be spoken with such command. Such power. Tak herself even looked shocked, quickly fixing her bearing that all of her years of training had taught her to maintain. With no training however, Dib was helpless, having no idea how to verbally respond to the Tallest. Without realizing it his back straightened, shoulders wide apart, and posture completely perfect to the eye of any Captain. Or Tallest.

'_This is the first time you've actually called him by his real name, you know_.'

'_I've called the meatbag by his name tons of times_!'

'_No, I called him by his name countless times, not you. You get more respect when you give respect, you know_.'

'_Shut up_.'

"Hey, useless _hyu-man_ thing, explain to the Tallest what happens when the level thingy goes over!"

'_Good job with that respect thing. Very nice_.'

'_Shut up_!'

"It's nothing, really. It won't happen; Zim said there's a low chance of it happening. If the level doesn't match with yours and goes over to quickly, I'll just- Go into shock is all. And if my body can't handle the shock or fix itself in time, I'll…"

Purple didn't need to know the rest of his sentence to know to consequence.

_I'll die_.

He would die just to get into the memories of the Tallest. Not for his own greed, but to help out with the situation. He would die to show that, yes, something was wrong with the Control Brains. Purple knew that Dib didn't fully believe him, that maybe these weren't memories, but dreams. The teenager didn't know what they were, but he would try anything he could to help out.

_I'll die_.

This Earthling would _die_ for the Irken race.

"You'd die just to help out the Irken race?"

Purple felt uncomfortable in his own skin, an unknown emotion bubbling deep within his squeedily spooch that he didn't feel often- Admiration? Is that what he felt? It wouldn't surprise him, there weren't many times he admired people. And why should he? He was Tallest; he was the one that should be admired, not other people!

"I promised Zim awhile back that I'd help out any way I can, no matter what. If this is what I have to do to help out, I will. Besides, what human can say that they helped out the Irken race? Tak, you have control over everything, when it's all in place press the switch on the keyboard. If something seems to be going wrong with Tallest Purple just turn it off completely, alright? Yeah. So, ready to start?"

Words had been rushed and hands shook as he was messing with all the equipment, making sure everything was alright before he started. Tallest Purple just stared at him, never blinking, gaze never wavering away. Just staring. Like he grew another head or something in the last five seconds. Dib stopped moving around frantically to cast his sight directly at Purple's face, neither one breaking eye contact. Tak stood there awkwardly, having not even the slightest idea on what to do right now. What were they doing?

"You know, for a filthy _hyu-man_, you aren't that bad... Dib."

Tallest Purple would never know just how much the comment blew Dib away.

"... Thanks. Let's get started. For this to work we need to, uhh- Well, you know, activate the other side of you."

The eyebrow shot upwards on the Tallest's face.

"Other side of me?"

'_He means the better side- Me_.'

'_Oh, yeah, okay. Because YOU'RE the Tallest part. Mmhmm, sure_.'

'_**Now** you want us to be two different people, huh_?'

'… _Shut up_.'

"I didn't mean it like that, I just-"

"By Tallest Miyuki! You think that I can just switch from one side to the other?! That is so _stoopid_ that you made my head hurt! I'mma make you hurt real- Just kidding! Let's see if I can do this, I've done it before."

'_Ready_?'

'_Of course, my TALLEST_.'

'_Sarcasm doesn't suit you well_.'

His neck twitched, no longer feeling any pain that he usually felt with the switch.

"Ready. Are you sure you're willing to do this, Dib? You can still back out."

"No… No. Everything will be fine, this is the best option. With the information from your memories and when Zim gets Miyuki's Pak it'll put all the pieces together. I'm going to help you out any way I can. I promised."

Purple nodded, inspecting the mask within Tak's hand that would need to be pressed against his face. No words were spoken as the Tallest laid down on the medical table, eyes closing. He ignored his flexing muscles when the plastic of the mask touched his face, feeling the gas run along the sides of his cheeks and frowning lips. That Earthling needed to make out of this situation alright, he would never forgive himself for his death. He kinda liked how annoying he was. He was a smart human, no doubt, and-

Whoa, why were the lights flashing and then dimming? Where were his hands?! His hands! Where _**did they go**_?! Oh, _pfft_- Right there, duh, stupid. Haha. Stupid. Dummy, fool, moron, idiot, thick-headed, Zim, wait- He didn't belong there. Or did he? Was that Red floating with a can of soda?! Give me some soda, Red! Right here, 'ya know?! That just wasn't-

The Tallest was in a deep slumber in a matter of minutes.

"Breathing regulated, brain pattern neutral, Pak settings not at max levels- He's sleeping."

"Okay… Okay. I'm going in, Tak, if anything looks wrong with Tallest Purple, shut down the mission. Make sure he's alright, okay?"

"And what about you?"

For the first time in days the two made eye contact, a crease in-between Tak's glaring eyes, clearly irritated by this situation. Dib sighed, tugging the metal band in his hands to open it wider to fit over his 'normal-sized' head. His stomach knotted as the band went over the top of his head, feeling all four sharp tips big into the first layer of his skin. He wasn't scared. He was utterly terrified, he couldn't do this! Why was he going to put himself through this much pain just for Zim's dumb planet?! He should let them suffer! He should-

Keep his promise.

"Nothing. Let whatever happens to me happen. It's going to be fine. Be ready to press the button as soon as the sensors go through, Tak. I'll be fine, really."

Was he trying to convince Tak or himself about being alright?

As soon as he let go the band it instantly shrunk, points going all the way, the teenager sickened at the sound of his own bone's crunching noise. There was a severe ache, but not something that he couldn't live through. He would heal, this was fine. God, Dib, stop your eyes from watering! You're fine, this is fine! Zim told you that the Tallests have to cut off their own thumbs to become the leaders of Irk! You can take a few sharp points and electrical shocks!

Oh, no… _No, no, no_… Not the currents, he was so scared already, there was so much pain already. He felt his own blood traveling down his cheeks, hands trying to get the blood off his face, but only staining his palms. He couldn't do this- _**He couldn't do this**_!

"_**Come on, Tak, press the button**_!"

With eyes slammed shut she switched the button on.

At first nothing happened, all the points inside his head were only warming up. This is fine, Dib, see? Just fine. Warm become all too hot for his liking, but it was still fine, he could handle this. His eyes that were closed tightly flew open when he felt something shock the back of his brain. Oh, no, was it already done heating up? Didn't it need more time?! The currents began starting up, stinging so much that the human bit his own lip, drawing blood in a matter of seconds. Think of something else, Dib! Anything! Umm- Tacos, aliens, fat homeless guy down the street that thought his rat was a dog! The ice cream man who was secretly the whale that was genetically mutated into a man! Hotdogs, Santa scared his dad, the burning of wood- _Burn. Agony. Hurt. The pain! This was torture!_

_**He shouldn't have to go through this torture from Zim's race when he wouldn't do it for his own**_!

Tak was trying to figure out if there was anything she could do for Dib, nothing seemed to work. She grit her teeth as his tears burned like acid on her hands, desperately trying to rewire the band so the currents wouldn't be so strong. _Water_! The worst substance known to the Irken race! He was only a little bit away from the power level that the Tallest's Pak was at, but his body was going through severe pain. It was going to shut down if she didn't do something! Burns crawled around the tips of her fingers and the edges of her hands, ignoring the screams of agony leaving Dib's lips.

"Transaction completed."

As soon as the computer spoke the human fell forward into Tak's arms, her face paling at the lack of movement.

"_Computer, explain_!"

"Why do I always have to work around here?"

"_**COMPUTER**_!"

"Fine. Stop yelling. Tallest Purple's vitals are completely normal, still in the rest mode. Dib is a different case. He is suffering with second and third degree burns on the outside; I am currently pulling up medical reports to see how to fix internal fourth degree burns. Some of the muscle tissues are torn, they will be fixed shortly. Bones were broken through, but the bone structure is not damaged. If properly fixed, he'll be healed in a few weeks. Body is in a resting state and breathing is also regulated. He will need to be wrapped up and cleaned up as soon as the mission is completed."

"Can't I just do it now?"

"And if he wakes up? You know that the mission-"

"-Comes first. Doesn't it always? No matter what the cost is or what needs to be done now, the mission still always comes first. Irk before Irken. Every other creature after Irken. And pain never taken into account."

She softly hissed, laying Dib down onto the table that his body was resting on. Lips locked at the sight blood marked all over his face and neck, some blood even staining his white, button up long sleeved shirt. This was ridiculous. Human or not, he shouldn't be made to lay there in terrible agony, even if he was sleeping! Dark purple eyes glanced downwards at her hands, instantly snapping her head to the side at the sight of his blood smeared all over her palms and burns at every inch.

"I'd take a seat if I was you, you're gonna be here a while."

"… Yes, of course."

And took a seat she did.

All she could do now was wait.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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_Ohh_~ The next few chapters are gonna be so _fun_ to type out, so fun~!

They. Will. Be. _**Awesome**_.

So, review and such! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz! Hopefully I update soon! :P

See you guys (hopefully) soon!

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	13. Lesson Of Control

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I really need to change the summary of this story, I really don't like it. It's kinda lame, 'ya know?

Hugs and kisses, thanks for the reviews, everyone!

This chapter may be a bit graphic for some, so fair warning. And yay for references from chapter ten! :D

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_**Lesson of Control**_

…

_**(Planet Vort, Within The City Of Naruan)**_

…

"-**Hmm- Pathetic. You still do not understand how to properly control an entire race. Left was for utter control set on one being-"**

"_Why won't our transmissions go through?! It's been weeks_!"

"_Planet Irk's power source must be completely out by now. They __**can't**__ save us_."

Invader Larb crouched further when the ground shook beneath their very feet, trying to maintain his rapid breathing. _Stay calm; they can hear your breathing. One false move and they'll get you like they got the others_. It was silent for a few seconds until from off in the other direction what sounded like a grenade went off; the two Irkens left their post and bolted for their lives. Even with masks over their mouths they could still taste all of the dirt floating in the air, eyes blinking constantly to try and get the dust out with no success. _Stop blinking so much! Every blink is every step they take!_

The two slid along the ground to reach their next post that was all they did now. Stop, check to see if they could run, wait for some loud sound to go off, and run. Larb glanced over at the other invader by his side, her beautiful green face marked by three long, silver scars. Acidic marks. These scars were done by none other than the deadliest Vortian that Invader Larb and all of the other Irkens that had once been alive on this planet ever had to face. She was cruel, revenge driven, nothing stood in her path in achieving what she wanted. And what she wanted was the destruction of Irken civilization.

She was none other than Mistress Para.

"_**No! No! Please, I'll do anything! Don't touch him, he's barley trained**_!"

Larb grit his teeth, disgusting at the conversation he was hearing. No doubt it was another Irken that had gotten captured by his own foolishness and was _begging_ the enemy for mercy. _They gave no mercy, have you not realized that by now? Do you not see the bodies all along the ground and limbs hanging from the tops of building?_ His eyes wandered over the scene before himself; even through the thick layer of dirt he was able to see the curly antenna not even five feet away from him that was no longer attached to the owner. Curly meant that it had been a female Irken, probably another invader; she was first tortured and then killed. His hand trembled for a single moment when he reached up to touch the left antenna that wasn't there on his own head.

They always went for the antenna.

"_**Yuk! He was just a smeet! He- He-**_"

At least Yuk's death was quick, soldier.

He made no verbal comments though, simply tugging his way with Invader Snooks right by his side towards the next fallen building. The soldier had begun to scream; most likely one of his fingers had just been chopped off for his defiance of silence. It was too late to save him, but his torturing was buying Snooks and him time to run. And run they did. For what else could they do?

They couldn't fight the March.

That day had been so long ago… Marching of Mistress Para as it was referred too.

_It had been a typical day on Vort- Yell at Vortians, mock their pain, make them come up with new military designs, and then go get some snacks. Nothing seemed out of order, everything had seemed perfectly fine. Then they had received a call from Commander Sic that their home planet had been attacked and was nearly in ruins. Birthing facilities no longer working, barley any energy, Tallest Purple captured, the Control Brains also no longer working, Left Brain completely destroyed, and so many more issues. All the invaders and Elite members needed to come home to offer protection. _

_That's when the screaming was heard._

_Before his eyes Larb had watched as Para tumbled to the ground in her chamber, hands the shade of the gray dirt on the rotten planet gripping her horns. She was crying uncontrollably, hyperventilating even as the designs for the next cruising ship was scattered around her. Pleas and cries for mercy were spreading around Vort faster than Irkens took over planets. She wasn't the only one who had been screaming, but she was the loudest. The angriest. The most desperate one. It was Para who looked like she hated the Irkens the most back then._

_And looking on it today, there was no doubt that she did hate them the most._

"_Hey, worker-drone-thing? Are you, uhh-?"_

_Her screams had stopped._

_She tilted her head backwards to have her emerald eyes meet Larb's magenta eyes. The look she gave him will always be burned into his mind. There was nothing but complete and utter hate across her features. With one hand she slipped her lab coat off one shoulder, her other hand crumpling the designs for the Irken military. His mouth had fallen open, but no words or sounds came out. Elite members Flick and Nixa tried to pull him towards the open twin doors, but to no success. His legs were mush, arms useless, and mind blank of all thoughts except one._

_What in Irk was going on?_

"_Invader Larb, it is because of you that Vortians had been made into nothing more than slaves."_

_Had?_

"_You conquered a planet that was in alliance with Irk. For years we had been under your control, building your military weaponry for it to only be used on us. We were captured because of incidents that were not of our doing, but your own race's fault. We have felt obligated since day one to follow your every command as though some force had been making us. We could do nothing, only few have been able to fight against the Irken civilization with no success. That matters no more. For that hold, that command, that obligation- It is finally gone."_

_Had? Used? WERE CAPTURED? Why is this all being said like that's now in the-_

"_That was the past though, no more. I am Para, the seventh royal blood member of Ta-Kuhuni; I am legally the ruler of Planet Vort. Not some little scientist that is here to build weapons and pleasure the hideous race that is known as Irkens. My mind is not here for you to use up nor is my body here to you to pleasure yourselves with. It is time that I take my place upon the throne that no longer stands for you had destroyed my palace. My people's lives. My home. The power you hold over us is gone. I will kill you, but not until I annihilate every single Irken on this planet first. When I have taken your last little fellow Irken fall before your eyes is when I'll kill you. Then we shall use the weapons we had made for Irk and use them __**against **__Irk._

_You. Have. No. Control."_

_A shriek made Larb's antennas stand on end, whipping around to point a gun directly from his Pak at whoever was behind him. There was purple blood, but not his. Two Vortians in lab coats stood proudly before the invader, spears marked with dark purple blood and green flesh. The thin body of Elite member Flick fell into his grasp as Nixa's body slid to the ground, head rolling past his booted feet. Blood. There was so much blood; he could even taste it in his mouth. When the brown eyes gazed lifelessly up at him was when something had finally clicked inside that overly large head of his._

_The Vortians were going to murder every single Irken in their path._

_Raging magenta met cold emerald._

"_Run."_

_That's exactly what he did_.

And that's what he has been doing ever since.

The sound of running made Invader Snooks flinch, purple eyes shutting for a few seconds in order to remind herself to remain silent. When the foot steps were far enough for comfort she opened her eyes once more, noticing the other invader gazing at her through the thick, dirty air. That's all this planet had at this point. Dirt flying every where, darkness always falling on them too quickly, and shelters that were just the dead bodies of comrades that once lived and shattered buildings.

"_Sorry, I… The sound of footsteps, it- It won't happen again, sir_."

"_Don't apologize… I'm still not over it either, but you'll need to get used to it._"

It was footsteps that had given them their nickname after all.

The March.

Streets that day had been filled with thousands, no- _Millions_ of Vortians that marched to the same beat without even trying. Stomp, stomp, stab. Jog, jog, taser. Take a step, take a step, kill an Irken. No matter what they did, no matter how quick, they all followed the same beat. At the exact same time as though it was in their blood to be killers. Vortians had always been such easy creatures to push over and control, why had it changed that day? _WHY_?

It was a question that the conqueror of Planet Vort had always asked himself since that very day.

They were running once more, dodging, sneaking, and rolling past a Vortian that was on guard at every corner. The thick air and darkness covered them, making it easy enough to always hide at this time of day, but still. Still. There could always be enemies. Just listen to the sounds of running feet, the shrieks of those who are being tortured, and those who plea though they will never get mercy. Listen to the noise of-

Wait. The noise.

Larb instantly gripped Snooks shoulder, who bit down on her lip to hold back a shocked cry. The Irken's face was pale, eyes wandering over every inch around them was his head whipping around. He looked insane, like there was something he couldn't see. Something missing. She squinted her eyes at him, annoyed at the fact that he had stopped her to look at the scenery around them. It was the same thing every where! Everything was in ruins!

"_Larb, what are you_-"

"_The noise, Snooks_."

She couldn't help but scoff at his harsh whisper.

"_Didn't you just say_-"

"_No! Listen_!"

It was silent.

No screaming, no footsteps, no weapons going off, and no conversations about Irken scum.

Completely silent.

Wait, why couldn't he see Snooks through the dust anymore?

"_What in Tallest Red's name_-"

His sentence never finished when he began choking on his own blood.

…

_**(Planet Meekrob, Court Mephisia)**_

…

**"-And you in giving your race everything so there would not be just one person in control.-"**

"_How_… _Abnormal_."

"That's all you can say?! That this is **ABNORMAL**?!"

"_Please, stay calm, Mort. This is alright_."

"Alright? This is not **ALRIGHT**! We're **DYING**, Zort!"

"_Really now, Mort. How preposterous_."

"**Ugh**! Stop speaking with that soft and annoying voice of yours, Zort! It drives me **CRAZY**!"

"_And you're obnoxious_."

"**OH**! Don't make me-"

"Mort and Zort. Cease this behavior. It is not one that royalty of Meekrob energy should possess and Lady Tenn enters our presence."

The two Meekrob sisters quickly hushed themselves, each taking one side of their older sister, Port. Mort was grumbling to herself, trying to fix her appearance as though her electrical currents could even be ruined at all. Zort was swishing from side to side, ignoring the glare being given by her Mort. It wasn't easy to tell the sisters apart physically by anything except their eyes when they weren't wearing their crowns. Youngest Zort had eyes far too big and much too innocent; Mort was always glaring unhappily with her slanted eyes, and Port always kept a calm gaze with her just perfect eyes.

Or that's how Tenn always looked at them; it wasn't her fault that Port was her favorite out of the trio.

"Come, Tenn, do not hide."

"Yeah, hurry up and come out **NOW**!"

"_As gracious as always, Mort_."

The Irken slipped one foot into the light, then the other, until her entire body had entered into their chamber within the court. She almost stumbled on the floor length, light blue dress that kept creeping under her feet, annoyed at the silver bands along her arm getting stuck to the chains on her dress. She was never going to get used to this advisor clothing that she was made to wear. It was invader dark purple blood that pulsed through her veins, not advisor blood. She had no reason to complain though, she was lucky to still be alive years later, let alone the advisor of Port.

She should have been killed when they had found her defenseless all those years ago.

"Countess Zort, Empress Mort, and Queen Port, my pleasure to see you. If I may inquire-"

"No, you **CAN'T**."

"Close that energy hole of yours with a screw, Mort. Yes, Tenn?"

"Why are you not present at the festival? Zort, you have been requested countless times to dance and Mort to enter into the shape shifting contest. And Port-"

_Don't tell her what you have planned for her!_

"-Many citizens are wondering where you're at. Is something the matter?"

"Nope, everything is **FINE**! Jeez- Tenn!"

"_No, everything is just fine_."

"Yes. Something is terribly wrong."

"_**PORT**_!"

The oldest ignored both of their cries as she floated towards Tenn, a frown plastered on her usually cheerful face. The Irken held her breath when her queen- _Meekrob's queen, remember_- Got mere centimeters away from her face. They just gazed at each other, neither words spoken nor any sounds made. Just staring. Tenn tried her hardest to keep a collected expression, knowing that a dark green blush wanted to creep up on her face. Her queen- _By the past Tallest, Meekrob's queen_- Had only gotten this close to her a few times. She had no idea how to…

Did her face just flicker away for a second?

The once invader squinted her eyes until Port's face flickered once more.

Her face just disappeared for a few moments!

"Did your face-?"

"**NO**!"

"_No, no, no_!"

"Yes."

"_**PORT**_!"

The oldest now looked annoyed, slanting her eyes at the sight of her two sisters behind her. The two quickly frowned, ducking their heads within their own flickering shoulders. Tenn hesitated for a few moments, but finally allowed her hand to reach upwards towards the other's face. Her face was there within her grasp, soft and unusually warm, and then it flickered away just to come back. They kept eye contact with one another, everyone else in the chamber no longer existing to them.

"Wha-?"

"… Our energy source seems to be failing, Tenn. Something is desperately wrong with our energy; our bodies are acting very unstable and we keep fading randomly."

"Yeah? Well, where's the machine that has your energy source? Maybe I can fix it."

Silence lingered on for a few moments, magenta eyes shifting from the oldest to her younger sisters. Mort angrily threw her silver tiara to the ground as Zort played with her bronze circlet within her hands, neither making eye contact. Confusion turned to sorrow when Tenn realized that the overly amount of sparks flying off the bottom of their eyes wasn't some sort of over excessive amount of currents, but tears. Meekrob tears that were shed as much as Irken tears. They were a mighty race, they did not cry for every terrible occasion.

Only the ones that had no solution to them.

"Tenn, it's… Mort. Zort. Alone time."

Zort frowned and Mort growled, but they gave a nod at her command. They left the two in a matter of seconds, Mort having the door shut with a simple movement of her hand. The Irken tried to ignore the jealously that she felt at the tip of her tongue, being jealous was a useless emotion to the Irken race. How could she not be though? What did it feel like to have such power? To be able to shut doors with a wave of a hand and to shift into any being without a second though? To get everything you want with a snap of your fingers or by the call of a command?

Every Meekrob must have felt like a Tallest.

"We do not know where the source of our power comes from, my fair."

"Can't you track it?"

"We have tried so many times, but we cannot find it. We have tried building machines to keep use stable, tried to see if we could combine other energy sources with ours, but nothing works."

_No, stop it, Tenn! Stop getting scared! There's nothing to be scared about!_

"There has to be something you can do!"

"No."

"Come on, don't give up like that! How long have you been dealing with this? A few days?"

"Months."

Apparently the Irken had looked like she was about to faint, because with a snap of Port's fingers a cushioned chair instantly went under her body. She slowly allowed herself to slip into the seat, hands reaching upwards to grip her face. Hands traveled from her struck face to her antennas that were bent back defensively, tugging on them roughly. She couldn't handle this. How could she not tell her own advisor that she had been experiencing life threatening conditions for months?

"I didn't want to make you scared. It wasn't this obvious at the time; I hadn't even realized what had been happening. It began to happen more frequently and my sisters made a comment about what they were going through. Then my citizens even started showing the symptoms of what I was going through. Flickering, shape shifting going wrong, and even commands not being listened to when given. The Meekrob race is fading away, Tenn."

"_No_- You can't be fading away like you weren't even _here_."

Electric blue hands slipped into her green ones, magenta meeting blue, the Irken having no idea at how to react with the queen floating right before her face. She wanted to feel like blushing again, for her emotions only to be embarrassment and overly shy. All she felt was self hatred and utter loathing. She should have noticed what was happening! She should have seen that the queen was fading away before her eyes! How could this ultimate energy source be fading away like this?!

"I have a ship ready for you, Tenn. You never betrayed the Meekrob race once, even when I had left communication links up for you to contact them. You never stole any of our ships, our weapons, our plans for society, or even our snacks. You have gone through the ranks of our race, proving yourself to be more worthy than most of the actual citizens of this planet. The promise you kept years ago about serving the Meekrob race for your freedom is now done with. You have earned your freedom."

"No. No, no, no- My time isn't up yet, I have not worked hard enough to prove that I deserve my freedom! Queen…"

"No arguing, Tenn, I won't let you stay on a planet that is destroying itself! And-"

Port seemed to have hesitated for a few moments, letting her hands slip from Tenn's grasp.

"This isn't your planet. Your planet needs you."

Something inside of Tenn snapped.

"They _**NEED**_ me?! They left me here to die, Port! I was attacked by crazed SIR Units until my entire base was destroyed and I couldn't move on my own two legs! My own Tallests left me to lie in my own pain; my race never came looking for me! Then- Then you took me in, everyone warned you to kill me, that I was no more than Irken scum. You didn't though, you told them that I would prove myself, that I could show them that I wasn't Irken scum. But they were right, that's all I was and ever will be, _Irken scum_."

Magenta eyes widened when a hand swung towards her face, but it flickered away just in time so the palm wouldn't connect with her cheek. Port snarled so unlike the queen she was, Meekrob curse words rapidly leaving her lips until she finally calmed down enough.

"Don't you ever say that about yourself again! You are no scum and I will _gladly_ beat it out of you if I must! I gave you a chance that day because I knew that there was more to you than what any of them had perceived! And you blew both them and I away with how amazing you were- How amazing you _are_. Call yourself something like that again and I won't just beat you, I'll tear your antennas off."

The Irken had no response to her threat- No, statement.

"My planet doesn't need me though, Port, you do."

"… There is something I haven't told you, Lady Tenn."

"What _**now**_? Please don't tell me something else is wrong with this planet!"

"It's about… Planet Irk."

…

_**(Orbiting Around The Galaxy, Sector 7)**_

…

**"-Give one everything, the whole family shall want.-"**

Maybe it was because he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders months ago.

Maybe it was because Lard Nar finally wanted to feel like the captain he was of the Resisty back then. Whatever the reason was, he didn't expect so much work and planning to come out of one little sentence. Sure, it had been a powerful sentence, a suggestion really in his time of ultimate power, but that was it. Just a sentence. Here he was now though, his men surrounding him as they went over their plan for the hundredth time. He wanted to cry at how beautiful this all was. He could still remember that day…

"_You want to do __**WHAT**__?"_

_Shloonktapooxis cried out over at his station by the laser cannon, every single member of the Resisty staring at him with shocked faces. Nothing could make this Vortian feel bad though. He was feeling so good, defiance pulsating through his blood like how Irkens marched down the lanes of the planets they took over. He felt as cocky as an invader did when he took over a planet. He felt good. Really, really good. He felt… He felt…_

_Is this how a Tallest felt?_

"_You heard me."_

"_We can't do that!"_

"_And why not?"_

"_It's __**BAD**__!"_

_Lard Nar grunted obnoxiously, hitting himself in the face with his own hand. Out of all the people he could pick as his second-in-command, he picked Shloonktapooxis…_

"_Why don't we just write on the Massive some more or something?"_

"_Huh, that is a good plan, Spleenk… Wait, what? No! No more little plans like that! That's not starting a real resistance! Think about it! We'll come up with a plan for it, a good plan. No, a great plan! We could do it! Let's stop trying to do little things like getting their snacks and marking their ship! Let's hit them where it'll really hurt! Let's get them where their power cord is! Let's do something that no one else has dared to do before!_

_Irk is completely weak now, all of their issues will take years to fix! Tallest Purple is already gone, so why not? We could dominate them if we actually went for it! Planet Meekrob will be on our side, I know they will! The Irkens are so busy with their planet that we could go back to ours and pull out people to help us! It'll be perfect! They won't know what hit them! We could finally go all the way!_

_They have taken everything from us all for themselves! We were left with nothing! They not only took our homes from us and our resources, but even our pride. Our dignity. Our love. The Irkens have been ruling over our homes for far too long! They have been taking our belongings and treating us as nothing more than snacks more times than they should of! They give their snacks more respect than us actually! We need to take back what is rightfully ours! Who's with me?!"_

_They all just stared at him._

_It wasn't in fear or ridicule, not even in mockery. They just stared as though the wheels in their heads had stopped turning. It kind of scared him. Lard Nar realized that he was standing on his captain's chair and slowly slid back into it, head tilted downwards. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He shouldn't have proudly shouted out the idea he had. It was silly now thinking about it, way to difficult for them to do. He was in such a good mood though and… And that was no excuse. He should have just stayed quiet, he-_

"_Let's do it."_

And now they were here, everyone agreeing on the final parts of the plan. It would work out; it was perfect to the very core. Even the print on the blue paper was perfect! They could do this! They would be the ones to free all the planets from Irk's nasty grasp! It would all be so simple and yet so complicated that it would just have to be perfect! Wait, did that even make sense? Who cares! They had a plan to get ready for!

What had been the sentence that had started off this entire situation?

"Let's kill Tallest Red."

…

_**(Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters)**_

…

**"-Give the entire family everything and they will strive for nothing.-"**

"The left brain is completely destroyed, my Tallest. There is no way to fix it."

"The other two?"

"The right brain is frizzing and power source keeps flickering away, there's no doubt it will shut down soon. The central brain is in tact; however we cannot actually get any of our Irken information and energy to power up the planet. It's merely useless to us."

"Fantastic."

A chill ran down Commander Sic's spine at the way his Tallest had said that word. It wasn't sarcastic and it hadn't been angered, just… Calm. Way to calm for what his entire planet was going through. Tallest Red was standing by the edge of building, eyes never blinking once as his gazed wandered over his once proud land. There were no voices, no busy Irkens running around to finish their job this last at night, not even laughter of taller Irkens mocking shorter ones. Nothing. All his eyes could see for miles around were the dim lights of red and purple that marked his planet. Red and purple. Purple and Red. Tallest Red and Tallest Purple.

Maybe it should just be Tallest Red by now.

"Any other questions, my Tallest?"

"Why?"

Gig gaped a few moments, baffled by his question.

"Excuse me, my Tallest?"

"Why would I have any questions for you? Either of you? Any of you? What could you possibly do for your planet? Practically everyone has given up except me, but why does that matter? No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to bring Tallest Purple back. I've lost my best friend, my citizens, my planet… I've lost everything and you think I want to ask you two any questions? Then what are we going to do after asking questions? Cry to each other and hold hands? Say that we should just give up conquering all of the galaxy and raise cute little smeets?"

A shadow overtook Red's features instantly, teeth gritting and moving his shoulder for a second.

Did he just twitch?

"Oh, that's right, we don't even have smeets. We have nothing! **Nothing**! Do you hear me? We have absolutely nothing! No power, no smeets, none of our historical information, lack of food, and Purple… Purple has never been found! We would have found him by now if we fixed the Control Brains! But no, everyone was so absorbed in themselves that nothing was done! "_Our food supply, how will I eat?" and "If we don't have smeets, who will I pick on_?" But my favorite of them all? "_What's going to happen to me, Tallest Red? What about me_?" What about you, simple worker? What. About. _**You**_."

A protective arm instantly latched around Gig's mid-top when she fell against Sic's top, muscles fixed underneath the Commander's uniform. Red was now turned towards them, eyes narrowed and teeth bared directly at the two.

"My Tallest-"

"Don't act so innocent, Commander Sic. Or should I say old Commander?"

For the first time in years the Commander felt the blood drain from his face.

"… What?"

"Come now, Sic, you knew that this was going to happen. I have been watching everyone's step these past few months, nothing escapes me anymore. Not since that fateful day. You want to escape from Irk, to run off with your little lover over there, and live _happily ever after_. Oh, no. You aren't getting off that easy. I'm not letting you run off when we have an entire empire to rebuild. You will help me and act like the Irken citizen you are. Not some coward that's trying to run off for his own pleasure!

And don't try anything stupid, I placed a device in Gig that will automatically deactivate her Pak if she tries anything no matter how far from Irk she is. You run off with her, she dies. You make the wrong move or take a wrong step, she dies. You may escape if you like; I even have a ship ready for down by the smeet facilities you can take. All you need to do is put your hand on the ship's main panel and you can leave. As soon as it is activated, the device will set off and kill her. It'll be her life for yours. If Purple's life can just be dismissed for everyone's own worry and pleasure, then so can her life, right?"

There was no mockery, no sarcastic wit that he usually had, it was just cold calculation. The Commander had no idea how to respond, only tightening his lock on Gig's thin form. Every step he took, every word he said, everything he would now do, it would depend on if Gig lived or not.

Her life was on his hands.

No longer caring that his Tallest was there he buried his head against the top of her head, murmuring incoherent words to her. Of apologizes to things that should have never happened and to future plans that the two will never be able to experience. The advisor didn't respond to her lover, only gazing at Red with tears that had been forming in her eyes way to often these days.

"You look confused, why? Did you really think I was checking your Pak to make sure there were no viruses in it? This is the only way to get help, don't you see? You two are going to fix up this planet with me, whether you like it or not. Everyone is going to help me. My citizens should be willing to help their own planet, not to just sit in their own misery like clueless smeets! I can't handle how so many Irkens don't even care what happens to their planet! I'm sorry that you must suffer for Sic's behavior, Advisor, because you are one of the only few who still help any way they can.

Sometimes the good must suffer because of the bad."

"Yes, my Tallest. I understand, if this is what is needed to restore Irk, then it is what needs to be done."

"Are you insane? This control isn't what's needed too-!"

His mouth slammed shut at the look given to him by his Tallest.

"This control is needed. This is what needs to be done when no one else is doing anything. We have already proven that it was an Irken that had attacked Irk. It was our own race that did this to themselves and I will make them fix their mistakes. You have already proven the unloyalty that is filled in our society. But I will fix this. Everything will be fixed in no time; we just have to deal with the hard stuff and small issues first. I will."

"My Tallest, may I ask a question?"

"Yeah, what?"

"What is happening with the Massive at this point? You have not returned to the ship since you have landed on Irk all those months ago. What of it?"

He stayed silent for so long that Gig had thought that he hadn't even heard her question. Maybe he didn't. She was still trying to get used to the silence herself, it was maddening, after all. Maybe her words had been absorbed by the silence to never reach his hearing range. That's what it felt like to her. The Tallest turned back towards the edge to gaze outwards at his planet, back straight and hands collapsed together behind his back. This silent hurt more than his cold words, she wanted to beg him to say something, to remind her that he was still the same Tallest he had once been. That this was all a nightmare and her Pak was still in rest mode.

"I'll check up on the Massive soon, really, I will. Irk needs me more than the ship does, it's not like we can used the Massive anyway. How can you use a ship to take over other planets when our own planet is in desperate need?"

Arms disappeared from Gig's body, Sic turning on his heel to head back down into the headquarters. He had to get away from this insanity, he couldn't stay and just let himself hurt from all these comments. How could Gig fall for such a charade? Tallest Red for all the years the Commander knew him had only cared for himself, Tallest Purple, and power, but now he was worried for his planet? No. Absolutely not. There was something else wrong and he was going to find out with our without help. When the metallic door slammed the advisor flinched, lips thinning into a straight line. How could Sic just blow off everything Red said?

How could he not care for his own planet and race?

"You know, it's funny that we can't figure out who this Irken was that took Purple. Think it would be so simple. Maybe it is so simple that it just keeps slipping from under our antenna. It really shouldn't be this hard. Nothing was special about him! He was clearly a guy in too small of invader clothing and had the typical magenta eyes that most of our citizens have! What invader just shows up randomly to things? Which invader has gotten too tall for his clothing that we haven't noticed? It would have to be an invader that we haven't checked on in a long time."

Gig made no comment when his neck moved slightly to the side, but taking a mental note that he had looked to be in slight pain. He was chuckling now, hands moving around as he began chatting once more.

"I think over the video sometimes- _Often_- And find some of it funny. When Purple had been saved it looked like he had actually been _yelling_ at the guy who saved him. That invader had gotten all awkward on the video and had no way of dealing with Purple's yelling! He had just jumped from a ship, sped down towards Purple, and moments before hitting the ground he took out his Pak legs to save him! And what does Pur do? He _yells_ at the guy! That was hilarious! _Pfft_- Purple even looked more terrified at seeing that guy than falling to his death! You think that he just saw a taller version of-"

Laughter suddenly halted.

"My Tallest?"

"_Impossible_."

There was no longer joy or humor, only disbelief.

"What is wrong, my Tallest?"

"**Impossible**."

Anger was replacing once a positive mood that had been the first time in months since he had really smiled. Where had this come from? What had he just figured out?!

"Tallest Red, what is wrong?! Please, tell me!"

"_**Impossible**_!"

He had rushed past her in a fit of rage before she could even process what had just happened. Even minutes later when she was just still standing there, silence swarming around her like a bunch of insects, she still could not figure it out. Her thoughts were jumbled together and emotions fought one another like it was a fight for their lives. She wanted to get sick, she wanted to vomit, and she wanted to pull her squeedily spooch out of her own body to get rid of the knotting. All she did was stand there though in the darkness of the planet that no longer spoke a word.

What else could she do?

She couldn't do the impossible like fixing her home planet.

…

_**(In A Dark Abyss)**_

…

"-**You must give and take the perfect amount for the perfect race.-" **

At first there was nothing.

And then there was everything.

There was a bright light hitting his eyes, blinding him as he kept stumbling backwards, desperately trying to get away from it. _I'm not going towards the light, I know how the ends_! When the light ended he was met with a sight that made him awe struck, ignoring the fact that he was still walking backwards. Dib finally tried over a few tools that were lying on the ground, falling on the bottom half of his body, ignoring the dirt all over his lab coat. He couldn't turn away, he knew what that thing was in front of him, and he had seen it hundreds of times on Zim's computer screen. This was different though, it was actually here now, right in front of him.

There was the Massive! Right _there_!

Except, then it wasn't. It was torn up into three different pieces, Irken construction workers and some other species- _Vortians_? - All working on every single part of the ship to fix it. No, wait, that guy had just said something about this new ship needed to have it routers rechecked. New ship? The Massive wasn't new! Perhaps they were rebuilding the ship and making the Massive even _more_ Massive? What would they call that? The Ultra Massive? That sounded kinda silly; hopefully they wouldn't come up with such a dumb-

"They better not give it some dumb name. Whatever, all I hope for is that they build some kinda laser thingy to fire at people."

"I think a smoke machine would be cooler. We could have something that could release smoke and our ship could be hidden from enemies until we attacked them out of no where!"

"Won't smoke give away our position, stupid? It's not like it randomly smokes out in the galaxy, because, you know, it's the _galaxy_."

"This is why no one talks to you, you know? You're so mean. _Pfft_- I don't know why Advisor Spork deals with you!"

"At the academy who was the most popular student? Like you can talk about friends! You're so busy with Miyuki all the time that- Hey, isn't that your unit?"

"Huh? Wha-? Ah! No, no, no- Come back here!"

A tall Irken burst past Dib without even realizing that he was there, his arms reaching outwards to grad the little SIR Unit that was bolting towards the ship. Without a second thought the tall Irken tackled the unit to the ground, his purple tunic getting covered with dirt, grunting when the robot kept trying to escape. Purple eyes glared down at the squirming unit, biting back a sigh that wanted to escape from deep within his throat.

"This is the fifth time today, Air! What is it _now_?!"

"They are placing in the blockers all wrong, my master! If it does not get fix, someone will be able to hack into the ship with its coordinates and do anything they want to the ship!"

Dib felt his stomach clinch at the unit's voice that had been the voice that had left Gir when he had been acting crazier than usual. There was no doubt about it. Why was that unit's voice leaving Gir though? And was that… It was! That Irken _must_ have been Tallest Purple! A goofy smile over took Dib's features. One point for Paranormal Investigator and another for seeing the Tallest when he was young. Young Purple frowned, pushing himself off the ground to head back towards where his other red eyed friend was at.

No way- _Tallest Red_?!

"We've talked about this, Air. You can't just go and keep fixing things, that's not the job of a SIR Unit. Workers get angry when you do that, I'll tell them though as soon as I can, okay? Just leave it for now though, when we get nachos later you can tell me all about the problems you saw everyone doing so I can talk to Miyuki about it."

"Now I know why you nicknamed him Air."

The purple eyed Irken narrowed his gaze at the cruel tone, arms refusing to let go of the little unit in his arms that was eyeing the drones fixing the ship.

"Why?"

"It must stand for '_A Idiotic Retrieval Unit_'."

"I don't see _you_ noticing the problems that the drones are doing, Elite Red."

"_HA_! Good one, Air! I'm glad that took out that silly chip of yours!"

"You mean that modifying chip that was never supposed to be removed? And you really should have never had his coating redone to be black, Purple. Putting the Irken symbol on its head in white was fine, but changing the color in general was too much. It might look cool, but Spork isn't going to be happy about it."

"Hush, Red! Air and I are making fun of you right now!"

Young Red rolled his eyes, grumbling as he crossed his arms over his chest. Young Purple was laughing as he hugged the unit closer to his chest, smirking at his best friend. All the human did was lay there on the ground, enjoying the scene that was before him. They were so happy; he had never seen Tallest Purple so happy before. Then again, maybe it was because he wasn't Tallest at this point in his life. It was just nice to see both him and Tallest Red so happy though… Hey, where were they going?!

"Get up, Meatbag, you're fine. You've been lying there for ten minutes now."

Tallest Purple was hovering right behind him, arms crossed over his chest with a smirk crossed over his lips.

"I'm… Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine! Tallest Purple, I'm fine! The plan worked out perfectly! I'm fine!"

"I heard you the first ten times, now shut up and come on, we got someone we need to follow."

"Who?"

"Myself."

"Yourself? _But_- _What_- _I_- Where are we?!"

"Welcome to Irk of the past, Big-head, don't get your _hyu-manness_ on my memories!"

…_To Be Continued_…

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Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, you should really know what I'm going to put down here by now. ;P

Till next time, bye, everyone! :D

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	14. Not A Defect

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_**To My Readers**_:

This may come as a surprise, but I'm going to be gone for the next few months. I'm actually going into Boot Camp on August 6, so I won't be able to update this story for at least two months. No worries, I WILL keep doing the story, but I just want everyone to know that I will be gone for a while. I'm not going to leave it hanging, I will finish it, whether this story takes me up to a hundred chapters or not.

"WHOA, SLRISME, WHOA.

YOU SHOULD HAVE UPDATED WEEKS AGO."

YEAH?! WELL-

Shut up. :P

This chapter was extremely difficult for some odd reason. I'm not happy of it, but this chapter was supposed to be the one to fill in a lot of questions that some people had. Not all of the questions, but at least answer some of them. I hope that I'll get another chapter out soon and that this won't be the last one for awhile, but I still have to pack and such. So, who knows?

Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows! :D I can't believe that this story had reached 80 reviews, I'm so excited! All of you are so nice and polite, I really can't believe that I'm getting love! Think we can reach to a 100 reviews? Huh? _Huuuuuuuh_? ;D No, but really, a big **THANK YOU** to **ALL OF MY REVIEWERS** for leaving a thing for me every chapter, I really can't thank you guys enough! I wish I could just send all of you your very own SIR Unit and a six pack of Poop Cola! You guys are the best and I wish I could be with you at InvaderConIII! (What? Don't know what Invader Con is?! I guess you got something that you need to Google!)

_**Quick Thing To Invader Johnny**_: O rly? :o I actually didn't know that, I was actually just trying to come up with a random name and I typed that out. I'm quite terrible at Spanish (lol and I live in Arizona, ohGodwhy), but I love random facts! Let's see if you're gonna be up this late at night once more. ;P

Long author's note- And yay for not reading over everything to make sure there are no grammar mistakes! Potatoes! :D

With further ado, let me begin. :)

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_**Not A Defect**_

…

_**(Vort Research Station 9, top floor)**_

…

"Air! Get back here, Air!"

Purple hissed, tugging at the neck lining of his Elite uniform, visibly annoyed over the fact that his unit was escaping once more. Unknown to him there was his future self and a human following right behind, neither one important for this situation. Tallest Purple scoffed when Dib was moving his head around rapidly as though he wasn't just trying to study every detail, but absorb it. Pfft- He acts like he had never been in the Tallest Tower that was placed on planet Vort!

Oh, wait…

"Where is that unit going?"

"Like I know, Meatbag! I know just as much as you do, which isn't very much! I don't remember any of my memories; I'm experiencing them for the first time like you are!"

"Air! _Air_! Get away from- _Oh, no, no_- _Air_!"

Young Purple was reaching outwards to grab the little SIR Unit, hands stopping a few centimeters away when the unit lifted up a hand to halt him. Fear was clouded all over the Elite member's face, wide eyes gazing in worry at the metal door the unit was leaning his head against. Dib also noticed that Tallest Purple paled himself, hand gripping the front of his robes with a tight grip. What was so important about that door? It only took a few seconds to notice that it was the only door on this entire floor, not a single soul wandering down the halls. Where the heck was everyone? Was this a secret door or something?!

A wicked grin spread across the human's face.

_An Irken secret door_?

"_Air, this is Tallest Miyuki's Vortian chamber, you know_-"

"Listen."

"_Air_-!"

"Listen."

The Irken grunted but followed his unit's instructions, silently slipping onto his knees to place his antennas against the door. Inside the chamber was silent until a loud slam was heard, Purple biting down onto his tongue to hold back a shocked cry. He hadn't gone through all of those years of Elite training to be scared by the littlest sound, right? Yeah, right! He narrowed his eyes at his unit and though no words were spoken his glare was saying a thousand of them. _We're gonna get caught. This is wrong. Tallest Miyuki trusts us, Air; she placed us at the top of her security team! We can't do this!_ Air gazed back into his master's eyes, not daring to back down.

_We must_.

"I remember this."

Dib whipped his head around to see Tallest Purple glancing around the hallway, fidgeting in his own robes. Something was wrong. He knew this day, he remembered it. Or at least he could feel it all the way down in his squeedily spooch. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the sight of his younger self whispering to the SIR Unit, commanding him to do something. He was trying to find a way to see inside the room to make sure that Miyuki was alright. _Drill a hole to place some weird camera-thingy-stuff inside the room and connect it to your head screen, Air!_ He knew everything that was happening, but he just couldn't remember it. It was bad though, today had been such a horrible day. Why though? Why?

"What?"

"I remember this day."

"Really?! What happens?"

The Tallest sneered, baring his teeth at Dib defensively.

"I don't actually _remember_, isn't that why you're here to help me out, Meatbag? If I remembered you wouldn't be here! I just… Everything he- _I_ did back then I can remember as soon as he- _I_ did it! I can't think of the dumb events that happened today! I know they were bad though. Really bad. Like Massive losing all its snacks bad. No, the entire universe losing their snacks bad!"

"That's really bad."

"I know, right?!"

"_Good job, Air_!"

A whisper broke through their discussion, Elite Purple patting the back of the unit with a grin spread across his face. A screen was popped out of Air's head, both unit and master watching the scene in silent amazement. Two Irkens were present on the screen, both very tall, both with their arms crossed over their chest, and both angry at one another. The taller of the two was a blue eyed Irken clad in Tallest robes, pressing her lips together in an effort to control her rage. The other Irken wasn't trying to hide his own disgust, yellow beady eyes slanted into a glare as he rapidly tapped his hand against his forearm.

"My Tallest-"

"I am not making this up, Spork! Something is wrong with the Empire, I know it! Please, just listen to me for a few moments!"

"I have been, but I can't anymore! This is insane, my Tallest! Almost-"

"Look at the signs! The Origin Code is not in Irken! What Origin Code do you know that is made up of three different languages? One of the languages is from the race of our enemies, Spork! _Meekrob_!"

"_Shhh_! Hush before someone hears you!"

Advisor Spork stopped right after his sentence, eyes instantly snapping towards the door. Younger Purple held his breath as he gripped his unit's arm within his grasp. This is how they were going to die. The both of them were going to be deactivated by Advisor Spork for listening into a very personal conversation. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn't just stop listening. This was deep. The very Origin Code of Irk was created by three different languages. And one of the languages was Meekrob. Was this one of the reasons why Miyuki had been acting so strange these few days?

"Meekrob. I remember this. It was Meekrob and-"

Tallest Purple had paled slightly when he heard Miyuki's voice once more.

"Vortian, Spork! Why would the Origin Code be created with three languages? The Control Brains are made with the coding! They are the very power and judgment of our empire! Why?"

On the screen Spork grimaced, shrugging a shoulder at her like the topic was just pestering him. With a wave of a hand and a turn on his heel he headed towards her chamber bed. Letting himself slip onto her blue covers, he leaned his arms on top of his knees, tilting his head backwards to gaze up at his Tallest. For a few moments he stayed silent, unknown to the Advisor that Elite Purple was holding his breath every second he didn't spoke. _Say something, do something, help our Tallest out. Something is wrong_.

Something has always been wrong.

"Okay, okay- Let's just think about this. What all have you gathered about the Empire?"

Miyuki couldn't hide the baffled expression even if she had actually tried.

"Who says that I have-?"

"I know you. You get obsessive about things once you get into them. Let's not talk about how you thought the Slookipans were placing acid substances into our nacho machine. How long ago was that?"

"I- I- Shut up, alright! I know they were! We were just never able to prove it is all! This is serious! Something is wrong with our Empire! The Origin Code that helped to build the Control Brains isn't even in our own language. It was done in three different languages!"

"Vortians helped to build the Control Brains. Come on, we have Vortian scientists all over Irk right now crafting our air crafts and creating our weapons. We even have some helping to big the Massive right now."

Dib noticed that both Tallest Purple and Young Purple flinched at the same time when Miyuki slammed her palm against the door. The small SIR Unit made an odd sound as he fixed the position of his camera, both unit and master passing each other an expression that looked worrisome. The Irken was fuming within the room, throwing a two fingered hand up into the air while her cheeks began to flush a deep emerald.

She was starting to look hysterical.

"And Meekrob? What about Meekrob, huh? Have we let them work on our ships and equipment too?!"

Yellow beady eyes narrowed as the Elite member's antennas went back defensively against his head. She was getting very, very worked up. Starting to not be able to control her actions and emotions. This was the sign of an Irken going defective. The human glanced over his side to look at the Tallest by him, Purple's lips tugged in a slight frown. He was shifting uncomfortably, like his own skin was some sort of plastic wrap that was only constricting against him. This was familiar. He knew that this entire situation was going to end terribly. Why though? What exactly happened that had emotionally scarred him that even without knowing what was going to happen it still terrified him?

_Why_?

"Simple. Meekrob and Vortians used to be in alliance before we came into the picture. Many Vortians know Meekrob and on Meekrob they still speak Vortian. Some Vortian who made the Control Brains probably put the language in there."

"Yeah? And why is there an extra chip in our Pak?"

The Advisor suddenly began to cough as though he had choked on the very air.

"Excuse me? What are you-"

"I have been examining Paks for a while, Spork. You know that I've been studying technology advancement in our science field; I know how we're made inside and out. I know everything there is to know about every single piece of technology we use, on our bodies or not. At least, I thought I did. There's an extra chip within the Pak that's hidden between the-"

"And you know this why? _You_- You didn't work on _yourself_, did you?!"

The Irken was now tensing as his eyes wandered all over the form of his Tallest, pushing himself so quickly off the bed like he saw something so disgusting he had to see it face to face. Elite Purple held back a growl deep within his throat, agitation tugging through him. How dare the Advisor look at his Tallest in such a way? This was a disgrace! Dib opened his mouth to make a comment towards Tallest Purple, but with a turn of his head he realized that Tallest was gone. Panic rose through him as he whipped his head back and forth, hissing the Irken's name until he finally saw him. The Tallest was only a few inches away from Young Purple and his SIR Unit AIR, hand reaching outwards and touching the cool metal of the chamber's door.

"Purple- Tallest Purple! Hey! What are you doing?!"

The Tallest ignored Dib, placing his forehead against the door now along with his other hand. Young Purple and Air didn't even notice that he was right by their side, only keeping their gazes on the screen with their current Tallest on it. Everything hurt. This time it didn't feel like he had seen this before, but he had actually been in this situation. He already knew what was going to happen before it did, not because he could remember, but because he had been through this. Miyuki was going to start getting defensive-

"You think that I would work on myself, Spork? That's a deadly and nearly impossible task, Spork! I probably wouldn't even live from that! How could you even think I would do something like that?"

And her closest companion would angrily hiss back-

"You haven't been yourself lately, Miyuki. Something is wrong with you and it's very obvious. You've been lying about charging yourself in rest mode, I know you have. Don't open your mouth! I've seen you walk down the corridors all by yourself at late hours! You keep checking into the Empire records and Control Brains for no reason at all! You are bluntly ignoring all requirements and regulations! You do not eat, you do not rest, and you don't even smile anymore. All you do is look into pieces of the Empire that aren't even there.

Why so surprised? Did you think that your own advisor and closest companion would not notice how you've changed? Everyone has noticed! Your own citizens fear you! My highest guard has even expressed worry over your welfare. Your own guard captain is terrified of you! Have you not seen the way his purple eyes widen when you talk of the mighty Empire that is falling to shreds only in your mind? The way you speak of horrors that aren't actually there? And don't even get me started on that twitch of yours. Irk knows you'll never explain to me about that no matter if your Pak lasts forever. None of this is real, Miyuki!"

If betrayal had ever hurt an Irken it was Miyuki who had been hurt the most from it.

"You have no idea what is real and no real! No one in the Empire does other than I! You just don't understand and you never will understand! This is real! I'm two different Irkens in one body! One side is a mindless Tallest that hasn't cared for her citizens properly in ages and the other side is an insightful, all knowing scientist. Do you remember that I was a scientist when we were younger, Spork? I don't. Not really. I'm not even sure what field I was in for science. I- I can't even remember my own past when I want too! I always feel like I'm being watched by them, like my every step is not my own, but _their_ steps. I used to think that there was something wrong with me, Spork!

I realized that it wasn't me that was wrong, it was the Empire! It was the Control Brains and their insane laws! There is something wrong! _There is_! How can you not see all the innocent that is suffering? How can you not see that our home is just a planet that is creating devastation and destroying planets through the galaxy? There is no proof that we as Irkens decided on this plan! For all we know it could have been the Control Brains to decide this for their own gain! Look at how pathetic and insane we are! We pick a ruler because of height! I should not rule because of my height! I don't deserve the title of a Tallest! _I deserve death by my own hands_!"

Tallest Purple snapped his eyes open when the echo of a loud smack boomed through the corridor, never daring to look at the screen before his younger self. His narrowed eyes caught sight of green three-fingered hands knotting into fists, a deadly hiss escaping the Elite member. It was no surprise either. How dare some Irken look at the Tallest with disgust, let alone to even _touch_ the Tallest? The little unit made a tiny hissing sound as by the glow of a dark red light he was in duty mode. The unit was pulled into the grasp of his master, both of them huddling against each other for comfort, neither saying a word nor needing to.

"Don't you ever say that again! I would rather kill you with my own bare hands than to ever let you take your own life! What if someone heard you? You know suicide is against regulations; it's even placed within the Origin Codes. _This_ is what I've been talking about! You are going insane! You're- You're-"

Fear clouded his face, hand gripping the front of his robes as though something was going to rip right out of his chest if he didn't hold it down.

"You're acting like a defect and I can't stand it. Not you, Miyuki, anyone but you. You do not deserve such a fate as deactivation, you belong with us. Something is just wrong is all, but don't worry. We'll fix it, I promise. I will help you out any way I can. I have contacted the Control Brains dealing with the issues you have been having lately. You have a meeting with them later on; everything else in your schedule has been cancelled for you to attend the meeting. You have no way of getting out of it."

"_**No**_**!** Spork, please-!"

Had he sound that desperation when he had been crying out Red's name when he heard of his own meeting?

"_**No**_! No… No more trying to explain without making sense, no more of your insane theories, and no more of this talk of death. This is what you need. You need to confront your fears and actually talk to them. Maybe then you will realize that nothing is wrong with the Empire. You are everything to me, Miyuki, and I won't lose you. I promise I will help you. I _will_."

"_Spork_! _Don't do this to_-"

A siren began to blare out through the entire building.

The image of Tallest Miyuki sprawled out on her bed with tears brimming in her eyes with Advisor Spork towering over her was instantly gone. With a rough tug, Elite Purple began carrying his SIR Unit down the corridor as fast as he could. He didn't care that Air didn't even put the screen away yet, they had to run away from that door. It didn't matter where or who was there, just that they would get there _now_. The obnoxious noise helped to hide the loud steps of his beating feet, almost burying his face within the top of his unit's head. This was a terrible idea, he should have never been nosey, and he should have stayed away.

It was too late now though, so all they could do now was run.

"Come on, Meatbag! Hurry up!"

Tallest Purple hissed, tugging Dib by his collar as the two hurried after Young Purple, who was running down the stairs instead of taking the levitation padding. It might have been quicker, but it would have been suspicious if the pad to the Tallest's floor was suddenly gone for a bit. The human grunted, glasses falling to the edge of his nose as the Irken kept tugging him along. The younger Purple wasn't even breaking a sweat, probably because he was so scared to even process that he was sprinting so quickly. The other two following right behind him were having difficulties of their own though. _Jeez_- Why were there so many stairs?!

"_Why are we_…_Gah!_ _Running like this_?!"

"_Stupid_- _Meatbag_… _Always_- _Asking_… _Questions_!"

The Tallest snarled back, though heavy breathing indicating that he wouldn't put up much of a fight. He really needed to get in shape more. Hovering for absolute years did that to you though! When Young Purple slipped through a doorway Tallest Purple was right on his heel, never once letting go of Dib as they sprinted. The poor human however was having difficultly breathing, the lining of his collar choking him as he was tugged along like some toy. He couldn't deal with this much longer! They had been sprinting at their fastest pace for well over ten minutes!

"_Lose_- _Sight_- _Won't_- _Get_- _Memories_!"

"_What_?!"

"_You're_- _Dumber_- _Than_- _Zim_!"

The teenager was far to tired to argue and was ready to just give up when the Younger Purple finally took a sharp turn and stopped sprinting. Were they on the first floor? Vort Research Station 9 had more than twelve floors! A Tallest wasn't supposed to run that much! Wasn't that against the rules or something?! The Irken Elite member pulled at his clothing and checked on the SIR Unit within his grasp, making sure the two of them had nothing out of place. Placing Air on the floor, he tugged his black mask upwards on his face, only covering everything that was underneath his eyes. The two headed halfway down the corridor to reach where a group of other Elite members were, all hanging around a light that was flashing red. A few moments later the siren was finally turned off, no longer blaring at them.

Tallest Purple plopped himself up against the corridor wall, head hung low for a few moments until he turned his gaze towards Dib. A nasty sneer made his lip twitch upwards, the human only glaring back at the Irken. They needed a few moments to relax before they would be able to hold a real argument. Letting his tall body slide to the floor, he rested his head against his propped knees, lazily turning his head towards Dib's direction.

"If we lose sight of my younger self, we lose everything. These are his- _My_- memories, not Miyuki's memories or anyone else's either. My memories are too good to belong to anyone else. If we lose sight of him- _Me_- We'll automatically wake up and this all would have been for nothing. We have to follow him- _OhMyIrk_- **MY** every step of the way!"

Young Purple obnoxiously laughed at something that Young Red had said resulting in the two smacking hands together in the air. The two turned away from the siren and other bodyguards as Tallest Miyuki and Advisor Spork approached them. Red started explaining what had happened; apparently the siren had accidentally been started up for no reason at all and everything was alright. Spork said something about '_checking out how experiments were going since we're down on this floor anyway_' and the four turned away to walk all the way down the hallway.

"We have to follow _every _step?"

"_Yeeesss._"

Was all Tallest Purple whined back to Dib.

"I should have never promised Zim that I'd help him any way that I could."

The two pushed themselves upwards and took a single step-

Only to no longer be in the hallway with a roaring brown beast towering over them.

Dib gave a shocked cry, pressing himself up against Tallest Purple's side when the monstrous creature came into view. The Tallest pushed the Earthling off his side, wiping away the area he had touched as though dirt from some disgusting vermin had gotten onto him. It took the teenager a few moments to actually realize that the beast was actually behind a large glass screen, metal bars from top to bottom. His brown eyes wandered all over the new scenery, hand reaching outwards to place it against the cold glass that enclosed the creature. Purple gave a bored yawn, tilting his head to the side like he had better things to do than to gaze upon such a magnificent beast. This was nothing like Dib had ever seen before!

"Stop looking at that thing like it. You look like you want to mate with it. And that's creepy on it's own, let alone that it's _you_ with that look."

"Hey! You know what?! You- You suck. Shut up. How did we even get here anyway? Weren't we just in a hallway?"

"Don't look so confused. These are _memories_. We're jumping from memory to memory; it's not going to be exact. If it was this was be, like, ten thousand times more boring. We're not here to get you a mate, so stop looking at that creature and come on! They're getting away!"

He tugged away from the glass and hurried after the Tallest, both of them hurrying towards the group that were slowly trailing around the research facility. Young Purple was positioned directly between Tallest Miyuki and Advisor Spork; making sure that if Spork even _dared_ to even try and touch his Tallest again he would cut his hand off. Red was on the other side of Spork, the two exchanging glances when they noticed how cold and solemn Purple was acting. Why was he so tense? It was clearly obvious that he was more protective of Tallest Miyuki than usual, but why? Was it something Air had said?

The Elite member narrowed his eyes at the thought. Probably. That rotten little unit always did talk too much; no SIR Unit should be so obnoxious. So what if he was always right? He was still annoying and- And Red knew that he was simply jealous of how much Purple loved the little guy. He really wasn't so bad, he was one of the best units he had ever laid his eyes on, but still. _Still_. Something was off today and he was going to find out when he had the chance.

"What about this creature, Tallest Miyuki?"

The Vortian who was conducting the tour questioned the Tallest, tilting his head backwards to pass her a wide smile. The smile faded when she didn't even turn her head towards the creature, just gazing blankly into space. Her antennas perked up when she sensed that the group around her was staring at her, blinking a few times to refocus her eyes on the group. She didn't even let her lips twitch into a fake smile at the grinning Vortian, only tugging one eye lower than the other one.

"Yes? What is it, drone?"

Did Miyuki actually call someone a drone? And why do both Purple and Advisor Spork not seem surprised by this?!

"Oh- _Uhh_- I was just asking your opinion on the creature, Tallest."

She glanced at the pink object for a second, and then snapped her head to turn her attention back towards the Vortian.

"Does it truly matter? It's just another disgusting creature that'll be used by the Empire and serve for the Control Bra-"

"_**I**_ think this is a remarkable creature, but not good enough. Show us some other ones."

Spork interrupted Tallest Miyuki, which Red had never seen him do before, but made no comment about it. Why would he? It wasn't his place, he was Spork's top guard, not Miyuki's like Purple was. He saw that his best friend locked his jaw, but said nothing as he locked arms with the Tallest, strolling away without a word. The other Elite member stayed by Spork's side, neither of them also not speaking a word to one another about what just happened. Tallest Purple and Dib weren't that far behind, purple eyes wandering all over the research facility.

He didn't remember much about Vort Research Station 9, just that it was way too creepy for his liking. He had always made Red go to this dinky place instead of him every time they wanted the Tallests to come down. There was no way that he, as the Tallest, was going to step foot into here when he didn't have to. Sure, Red was Tallest too, but he was the whinier and more demanding Tallest, so he didn't have to. Why had he refused to come here after all these years though? It was more than just the disgusting appearance and creepy creatures, if that had only been the reason he would never step foot on any other planet again.

Why had set him off all those years though?

"_Mah Tallest_! Oh, my Tallest!"

The human wiped his head away from the glass that his hands were pressed against, ignoring the three headed creature that was trying to claw its' way out to eat Dib. That annoying, obnoxious, mind-pulling voice- He _knew_ that voice. For years he had both dreams and nightmares of that voice, every day and night that voice always haunted him. The owner of the voice was running towards the group, waving his hands around in the air like some sort of maniac. Even in a lab coat that overly gleeful expression at seeing the Tallest and stupid gestures had to be him.

_**Zim**_.

"What's _**he**_ doing here?!"

"What? Zim? This was back when he wasn't as crazy. Well, actually, he was always crazy, but at this time we didn't actually know just how crazy he was. He was just destructive and slightly stupid at this time, but the Zim we know is really, really destructive and really, really, REALLY stupid. I remember when he worked here at the lab. Red and I used to like him back then, but then we actually got some brain cells and realized that he was completely insane."

Young Purple and Red waved at Zim as he proudly strode towards them, neither noticing the look of annoyance on Spork's face. It was this defect again. Hadn't they sent him here so they wouldn't have to deal with him? Tallest Miyuki gave a curt nod at the short Irken, not too bothered by the defect like Spork was, actually enjoying his presence slightly. Zim always knew how to get her mind off things, whether it was him destroying something or blowing it up, whatever he did work. And this was one of those times that she wanted her mind off things. The Vortian scientist who was giving the tour sneered, feeling bile come upwards in his throat at seeing the little Irken. Stupid Zim, always ruining everything!

"Tallest Miyuki! It's great to know that you're here today to see Zim's ALMIGHTY beast that I created all on my own! And I made sandwiches earlier, too!"

"_Ohh_- Sandwiches! Are there donuts?"

Zim gave an unsure look at Elite Purple, tugging at one side of his lab coat. It wouldn't be a good idea to make Miyuki's top guard unpleased, if that happened then she may not want to go and see his wonderful creation!

"_Ehh_- Did you want donuts?"

"… Yes?"

"Then of course the magnificent Zim made donuts for you! For all of you!"

"_Yay_!"

Purple and Red cheered together, no one in the group noticing, and not being able to see, the sour expression on Tallest Purple's features.

"Lying sack of sugar. I should have never followed for that lie, he never had donuts."

Dib rolled his brown eyes at Tallest Purple as the two began to follow behind the group once more, the human never missing the cold glare in the Vortian's eyes when Zim passed his view. The small Irken sneered at him, blowing a raspberry as he toured the group away towards the back of the research facility where his creature was at. Oh, his Tallest was going to be excited when she would see his monster! He expected nothing less than excitement though, it was impossible for no one to be excited about something the great and wonderful Zim created! The group suddenly halted before a large cage, Tallest Purple grunting when his tall body hit against Dib's body, knocking the human over. All he did was pass him an annoyed expression while Dib did the same, purple eyes glancing upwards to see why they had all stopped.

And for a single moment his Pak had stopped functioning.

A large, dark blue blob was within the large cage, the huge monster could barley fit into the fifteen foot prison. He was madly waving his tentacles from the top of his head around in his chamber, hissing and roaring at the sight of the Irkens before him. His large mouth opened to let drool travel down his bottom chin, reviling yellowed and dagger sharp teeth for all to see. A pink collar was around his neck, one of the tentacles tugging at it uncomfortably. When he realized that he wasn't going to get the Irkens he gave a pitiful growl, three green eyes blinking shut simultaneously. Purple didn't even realize that he had pressed his body up against Dib's for comfort, the teenage boy having no idea on what was happening to the Tallest. Was he having a panic attack? He didn't look like he was breathing anymore, wide eyes gazing onwards in fear at the creature.

"Tallest Purple?"

"_By the past Tallest Miyuki- It's the Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob_."

It was Dib's turn to stop breathing when Purple practically buried his face within the human's chest.

What was so important about this blob thing?

"Zim, what is that thing? It's hideous."

Advisor Spork spoke up when no one else said anything, having no idea what was happening right behind his back. The small scientist gave a smirk, passing a sandwich to Tallest Miyuki while Elite Purple and Red were eating away at their own sandwiches. Zim gestured a single hand towards the monster, trying his hardest to keep the rising grin off his face.

"Why, yes, my Advisor, he is ugly. Very ugly. Super-mega-Vortian-ugly. But he's also one of the greatest creatures ever created and it's all thanks to Zim! All hail the great ZIM!"

Elite Purple and Red rolled their eyes at him, not saying anything though since he had given them those sandwiches. He really was a great cook; he should have become a Frylord or something. Miyuki tilted her head back as the creature roared directly at her, not flinching one bit. Spork was right, it was ugly, but she had seen worse. Or had she? It wasn't like she could remember her memories all that well, maybe he was the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Perhaps.

"What's so great about him?"

"What's so great about him? Oh hoho, my Tallest, you have no idea what this amazing creature that Zim has created is capable of! My Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob is unlike anything ever done! He could defeat an army of Irkens without any effort! This creature has the strength of a million Irkens and the raw power of the entire Elite force! He can keep going forever, even our race must recharge themselves and we as Irkens are almighty and perfect! His energy is infinite as long as he is able to absorb the nutrients that he needs!"

"Really? That is impressive, Zim, but what is it that he absorbs?"

The wicked grin couldn't stop spreading all across his face.

"Everything."

"Everything?!"

"Ah, well, almost everything. Only thing he can't absorb is most metalloids, which is why he's perfectly fine in that cage, my Tallest. His favorite things to eat are chips, nachos, Irkens, sugar packs, and donuts. He-"

"What? What did you say that he liked to eat?!"

A certain look of horror crossed over Zim's eyes instantly when realization hit.

"… Chips?"

"Did- Did you just say that thing eats Irkens?!"

Now Zim seemed down right uncomfortable.

"_Err_- Yes, Elite Red, I did. It's not my fault though! Another scientist by the name of Frick had just _suddenly_ fallen into his cage when he had said something nasty to Zim is all. No worries though! Frick was useless and I've taken over his part of the job, too! No need to thank me, my Tallest! It's all part of the job as a worker for the Empire!"

Purple and Red passed each other glances filled with ridicule, knowing that Zim, once again, screwed up and had done something to another Irken. Tallest Miyuki paid no heed to the other two or Spork, nodding her head approvingly at the creature.

"How do you control him though? What would happen if he escaped?"

"Simple enough, my Tallest! There is a remote we have that can make him stop in his tracks just by his collar! That's why Blob is wearing that silly collar, it is actually an ingenious controlling device incase he ever escapes! The remote controls everything! If only Zim knew where he had put it…"

"You have no idea where you put it?! What if he gets out?!"

Magenta eyes rolled, the small Irken annoyed at how dramatic Spork was acting.

"_Please_. He won't _escape_. That's _IMPOSSIBLE_. He can't get out of that cage unless someone of a high rank or a scientist gets into the panel and unlocks the cage. And I think Keva or Yama or what's-his-name has the remote control, so they'll be able to stop him by just a single press of a button. If not, someone can climb onto his back and just press the button on his collar. _Pfft_- You'd have to be insane to do something like that though. Now come, let Zim show you around the rest of the research facility! It was all my doing by the way that made this place so _AMAZING_!"

"Does he always have to scream?"

"Who knows? Zim's crazy."

"Yeah, you're right, Purple. Now come on, let's go, everyone is already walking away."

"_No_! _Don't turn your back to it_!"

Dib's heart nearly burst out of his chest when Tallest Purple cried from within his grasp, madly shaking out of his hold with a hand reaching outwards. He tried to grab the back of Young Red's clothing, but it was no use, his hand simply slipping pass the article of clothing. A sort of desperate terror was all across his features, hands shaking with panic. This couldn't be happening. Not twice. He couldn't go through this again! A hand gripped his forearm, body being forced to turn towards the figure that was gripping him roughly. The teenager was frowning deeply, refusing to loosen his grip on his forearms, eyebrows tugging downwards together in confusion.

"Calm down, Purple! What are you talking about? What's going to happen?"

"_I remember this_. After all these years, I can actually remember exactly what happened."

"Yeah?! What happens?"

"The blob that Zim created, it-"

Words suddenly halted when a loud clicking sound was heard, eyes widening in terror.

"_It escapes_."

All heads snapped around when the sound was heard, a cry of shock leaving Zim at the sight that was only ten feet away. The door to his cage was some how open, the blob reaching a tentacle outwards to touch the empty space that had once been occupied by the door that had enclosed him within his prison. When the situation clicked inside his head was when the creature roared like the monster he was, wasting no time in escaping his prison. Dib threw his entire weight against the Tallest to knock him over, using his body as a shield to cover the very tall Irken. The Tallest paled underneath his body, not even flinching when the monster went over their bodies like they weren't even though. Oh yeah, that's right, they really weren't there. Duh, Dib.

"_Don't watch_."

The human could do nothing else but just that.

He couldn't even feel Tallest Purple's fingers digging through his clothing and into the first layer of his skin as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. Young Red wrapped his arms underneath Advisor Spork's arms and around his chest, dragging the Advisor along without question. He was screaming out commands like the Elite leader that he was, Dib couldn't tell you a single word he said though. His eyes stayed glued to Young Purple and Tallest Miyuki, a cold sweat creeping all along the back of his neck. _Oh no, this couldn't be happening. There was no way that Zim's blob had… No_.

_No_.

Young Purple was tugging his Tallest by her hand, sprinting with her hot on his heel, turning her head backwards to see where the creature had gone. He was only a few feet away, absorbing away large pieces from the ground where he touched and every time one of his tentacles smashed into something the object would wither away like nothing. From no where Zim was on the creature's back, a laser from his Pak shooting it in the head. The attack did nothing but anger the beast more, tentacles flying wildly and desperate animal instincts kicking in. A wicked laugh left his lips when he reached towards his creation's neck to press the button on his collar- Only to realize that his collar wasn't even there.

"_WHAT_?! Where is your collar you filthy, disgusting bea-!"

His sentence didn't finish when a tentacle smashed across his small body, flinging him backwards into the cage his creation had once been in. The small Irken slumped against the inside of the cage, body motionless as the human winced. Oh, that had to hurt! He gave only a split second thought to Zim when a cry broke through his thoughts. His head wiped around to see Young Purple bending over a fallen Tallest Miyuki, her leg caught under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen. The Blob caught the sight of the weak victim and gave off a roar unlike anything Dib had ever heard, bee lining directly towards the two Irkens on the ground. The human didn't even realize that he had pushed himself upwards until a tall body crashed down onto his shoulders, pushing him back down to the floor.

"_**NO**_! … _No_. You can't do anything. It's too late for her."

"_Her_?"

He choked out, letting himself slip to his knees when he realized just what exactly happened on this very day in Tallest Purple's memories. Red was still screaming for comrades to come as he threw grenades, but no attack worked. All the monster did was absorb every attack. Zim was right for once, this monster was great. Nearly perfect, all but one thing. His taste for Irken blood. Panic was all over Young Purple's face as he tried to open his Pak to get out his Pak legs to push the object off, but nothing was working. Why wouldn't his Pak open?! Why at a time like this?! He desperately tried pulling her body out from underneath the rubble; his only result was a cry of pain from her. The pair of purple eyes desperately met the pair of blue eyes, his Tallest only giving a single nod of her head.

Acceptance.

"_Go_."

"My Tallest! I can't leave you like this; I'm your top guard- Your partner! There has to be a way to get you out of here! The Empire can't go on without-"

"Yes, it can. _**Go**_."

"_Miyuki, please_!"

"_**GO**_!"

Young Purple didn't even realize that arms were wrapping around his chest till it was too late, his body unwillingly being dragged off by his best friend. The Elite member screamed at the top of his lungs while reaching his arms outwards towards his Tallest, Red keeping his eyes off what was going to happen behind his back. There was no way to save Tallest Miyuki, even if Purple had gotten her out in time and carried her. His calls weren't being answered, communication lines not being able to go through for some reason. There weren't enough men or time. The creature would have caught up in no time. The monster would have eaten both her and Purple. Red knew that it was his duty to protect both Advisor Spork and Tallest Miyuki, but not in situations like this when there was no winning scenario. He would have to just do his job as Advisor Spork's guard team Elite leader and save him and anyone else he could.

There was no way he could save the Tallest.

"_My Tallest_! _Let go of me, Red, let go_! _She's going to die if we don't_-!"

The Elite member stopped his frantic cries when the Blob was only mere inches away from the Tallest, stopping for just a few moments to gaze down at her. Through blurring vision he saw that his Tallest had proudly tilted her head backwards, not a single inch of fear across her features. Dib didn't even realize that Tallest Purple was still lying on his back, not able to feel anything at the sight of the defiant Tallest lying on the floor with no escape.

"You're not immortal and you will fall one day along with your imperfect Empire."

The creature gave a confused howl.

"Now, shut up and eat me."

The Blob did just that and he even ate up the rubble that had been on her too in one bite.

"_**MIYUKI**_!"

When Advisor Spork had cried her name from the other end of the research facility, the metallic doors suddenly exploded open, metal flinging all around the chamber. Elite Irkens were all rushing in at once, lasers flying every where and smoke now floating through the air. A laser shot against the Blob's head, resulting in him going into a fit of rage once more. The monster quickly spit some shiny object out of his mouth and rushed towards the wall of Elite members that were at the far end of the room. A shorter Irken was pulling Spork off the ground, eyeing him to make sure he had no wounds that needed immediate treatment.

"Forgive me, Advisor! Leader Red's communication link in his Pak kept breaking through and the doors refused to open, so we could not come sooner! What has happened?"

"… _Miyuki_…"

The Advisor did nothing else but wallow in his own self pity, letting the tears stream down his face unlike the proud Irken that he was. The short Irken looked rather uncomfortable by the display before he noticed that his Tallest wasn't in sight through the crowd of Irkens. No more words were spoken as the shorter Irken dragged the Advisor out of the destructive area, doing his job as an Elite member. Red lost his grip on Purple when his friend bit down on his hand, earning a sharp smack to the face and a yell of pain. Young Purple wasted no time though, sprinting towards where Miyuki's body had just been moments ago. He could hear Red bolting right behind him, dodging past other Irkens and vision not bothered by the smoke.

Through the mist of the fight Dib followed only a few feet away from the two, unconsciously aware that he was even moving at all. His own vision was being greatly bothered, but not by the smoke. He didn't even realize just how much the situation was affecting him, only gazing onwards as Red tackled Purple through the smoke onto the ground. The two began rolling along the floor until the fell into one of the many holes made by the monster's absorbing skills.

"I'm not going to lose you, Purple! You can't do anything for Miyuki now!"

"I saw that creature spit out something that belonged to her, Red! I have to get it! It's the only thing we have left of her! _Please_!"

The Elite Leader grit his teeth, loosening his grip on his best friend's shoulder, slipping his hand into the shaking hand that belonged to Purple. He should have been with the others trying to figure out what to do about this monster, but Purple needed him. _He needed him_. That monster was most likely still going to be rampaging all around Vort even after they found whatever was left of Miyuki. Purple's role model, teacher, and Tallest had just been killed before his eyes just mere moments ago. He could at least do this for his friend. So the two tugged forwards through the holes to find whatever was lost, the only light from the raging fire and lasers zipping pass their heads.

It didn't take too long to find out just what the monster had spit out. Young Purple stumbled towards the object numbly, ignoring his Tallest's wrist bands and hover belt that were lying their torn and worn out. Red spoke not a single word when he caught the sight of the object, staying a foot away from his best friend when the realization of the entire situation kicked in. Young Purple let himself fall roughly onto his knees, not even caring that he was going to have bruises on them tomorrow after he recharged. Trembling hands reached outwards, trailing over the metallic object that was covered in saliva.

It was Tallest Miyuki's Pak.

All Purple did was cry. He flung his body onto the Pak that had once belonged to his Tallest and cried like he had never cried before. He was so overly emotional that he didn't even realize that his own Pak was frizzing away, unable to control the rapid process of his emotional statement. His best friend was by his side instantly, arms wrapping around Purple so tightly that he heard his back crack. Purple didn't even acknowledge him however, only crying and screaming his rage and despair at the world. _He should have saved her! He was her top guard and her very own student! This was all his fault! Everything was his fault!_

"I'm so sorry, Purple."

Red had said that to his closet companion, but he wasn't the only to say that exact sentence. Tallest Purple turned his gaze towards Dib, so emotionless unlike his younger self. He gave a simple shrug at the human, lifting up his arm to pat the Earthling on the back. He made no mocking joke about the fact that Dib was nearly crying over someone that wasn't even _his_ Tallest.

"She knew that she was going to die. There was nothing anyone could do, I know that now. We need to go through these memories; I know we're so close to figuring this entire situation out. I can feel it in my squeedily spooch."

"To go through this all over again though…"

"No. I'm glad I did, I realize something now that I didn't when she first died."

"What could you have possibly realized from this terrible incident?!"

The pair of purple eyes simply gazed downwards at the Pak of his past Tallest.

"I'm not a defect. _They_ are."

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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NOT happy with the ending, but this chapter really wasn't falling into place as I planned. That's okay, I shall be doing many much more of the better chapters later on! I promise! :D

Please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day, you guys! I hope to see you soon enough, but if not, I leave some biscuits and cupcakes out for you guys!

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	15. It Only Takes A Smeet

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**Ew. Gross. Author's note.**

**Dark-Rose**: Oh. My. God. _**OhMyGodOhMyGodOHMYGOD!**_ That picture was the best thing ever! I am in love with the picture you made for me! I can't believe you actually liked the last chapter so much that you actually made a picture for me! Would it be fanfiction pressure if I told everyone to go look at it and love it as much as I do? ;P Thank you for making it for me! :D

**KraZiie**: Yup. Boot Camp. Terrified out of my wits that I leave in less than four/five days, but it's all good. This is the career path that I wanted. :P And yes, InvaderConIII is for 2014! :D I probably won't be able to go since that'll be my first year in the Navy, but I hope some of you guys get too! I heard that both InvaderCon I and II were awesome!

Thank you to all my reviewers/silent favorites/my stalker- I love you guys! I hope some of you would be less-than-silent, but hey, I'm glad you still come along to steal some cookies. ;) Thanks again for the reviews, everyone! I love them and it means the world to me that you took your time to leave a review!

Now, I want this chapter to be the last chapter I do before I come back. I want this to leave on my hiatus with a big (or above average, probably above a C+. Okay, guys, maybe a D+, Gawd!) _**BANG**_. Hopefully I can do that with this chapter, but who knows? Maybe it'll be the best chapter yet, maybe it'll be the worst. I'm hoping for the first option. :) This chapter may be really long (not completely sure since I haven't started) so fair warning. :P

Let me begin the last chapter that I'll be doing till I come back!

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_**It Only Takes A Smeet**_

…

_**(Planet Irk, Few Months Ago, Smeet Facility)**_

…

"_**Be glad that I don't have to say the usual**_-"

First it started with words that should have been spoken with love, not with rage and misery. The smeet made no movement though and didn't even know that he had even said those words. What sort of person who was presumed dead would be able to hear? Would a creature be counted dead if they had never taken their first breath though?

"_**Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty**_."

Then there was life. The fateful words that the Control Brains had said to over billions of Irkens had been spoken once more, but not from them. From an actual Irken. Her Pak began whirling away at once, powering up her mind and her body for the first time ever. It had not been some machines that had brought her to life, but an actual Irken.

"_**- To you. This isn't the time to be apart of the Irken race**_."

And finally there was a breath. She began breathing and after a few moments the little smeet opened her red eyes to the world. The first thing she didn't see was the looming walls or the creepy, dim lighting of the smeet facility. Nor did she even notice all of her brethren that surrounded her that one day would not be born for their time had already passed. How was a smeet to know this? Her Pak may have given her a higher intelligent that most full grown men, but there was a limit that a Pak could teach you. And this was one of those limits. She would learn of pain, suffering, and disasters later on in life. That was not for today though.

No, today was meant to experience her very first of many things. Her first breath, her first emotion, and the first thing she ever saw. A very, very tall Irken was rushing away from where she laid, his shoulders slumped and arms wrapped around himself. All she was able to see of him was his red robes and bent antennas, but that was all she needed to know. Every Irken knew certain Irkens by the clothing they were, it was something that was programmed into your Pak. She snuggled closer to the blanket that had been wrapped around her by the tall Irken, her first smile forming on her face.

Her Tallest.

It had been her Tallest who had welcomed her into the world, not some machines.

Tallest Red.

Admiration was the first emotion the little smeet had ever experienced.

…

_**(Planet Meekrob, Count Mephisia, Present)**_

…

"And we're sorry for bothering you, but this could work… If we were able to have your help with it."

Lard Nar was awkwardly bending down on his thighs before the three royals of Planet Meekrob. Countess Zort and Express Mort were nodding their heads eagerly, glancing at each other with gleaming eyes. This was too good. There was no way this Vortian had actually offered this idea. Vortians were cowards and had been under Irk's control for absolute years. Every species knew that they were little wussies when it came to defying Irk. Heck, even the leader of the Resisty was counted as a hero to the Vortians and all he had done was ruin their snacks and write on the Massive.

_Ohh- The chills_!

"I think this idea is **GREAT**! We should **AGREE** to it!"

"_I must agree with Mort, we must. It's time to take down those who have done us wrong_."

Queen Port hovered before Lard Nar, who had a grinning Shloonktapooxis on his right side and trembling Spleenk on his other side. Both of her arms were positioned behind her back, a scowl on the face of someone who never wore one. When the glaring eyes of the queen met his eyes it took all the courage Lard Nar had to keep his back straight, never breaking eye contact with her. He wasn't as cowardly as he used to be, he knew that. He could feel it. He hadn't felt any actual fear in months, he thought the cocky and mighty feeling would have faded by now, but it hadn't. Whatever had been controlling him was now permanently gone. He was proud, he was intelligent, and he was strong.

He was Vortian.

"You want our help because you believe that we will be able to help you greatly in this battle, correct?"

"Oh, yes, Queen Port! We know with your help we could do this! And we also wanted you-"

"Ah, of course you want us. You want our resources. Just like all of the other planets. You think our power is limitless and we are immortal. I have terrible news for you, little Vortian. We are not all-powerful beings and we are not perfect. We do not pretend to be as intelligent as Vortians. We do not pretend to be the image of perfection like the Irkens believe they are. We are Meekrobs. We are a dying race and we won't be able to help you out too much. You will be the second member of a different species to see what is happening to our planet."

The queen removed her left arm from behind her back to life it up to his face, only earning gasps from her sisters. Her hand was nearly gone; flickering a few times with a very dull image of what had once been a properly working Meekrob hand. Spleenk gave a girly shrill as Shloon stopped grinning stupidly, both realizing the desperate need of this planet. Where had their power gone? What had happened to their source of energy? All heads bent downwards in shame except that of the Vortian, his eyes never tugging away from the sight.

"We. Are. Not. Immortal."

Lard Nar slowly blinked for a moment, unsure how to respond to the enraged queen. For a few moments he stayed silent until he opened his mouth to calmly state-

"And we also wanted you because you deserve to be apart of this more than any race. You are Irk's greatest enemy and have never fallen under their control. You have seen first hand what they have done to planets. Your planet, Meekrob, is one of the only planets to have ever faced Irk and not taken over by them. It is not only the Vortians or Meekrobs that need you, the entire universe does. You may not be immortal, but no race is. Vortains aren't, Berottens definitely aren't since their life span is only about six hours, and even the mighty Irkens are not. While they still exist though and are ruining the lives of those who are still exist. This isn't just about us; this is about the entire universe. You can't just sit here and wallow in your own self-pity about your planet dying.

Our planets many years ago had once been great allies. Vortians and Meekrobs used to work side by side until the Irkens came along. They tore us apart when the Meekrobs had stayed strong and the Vortians had just fallen under their control. I, Lard Nar, am here today as the leader of the Resisty and a Vortian to ask for your help. If you accept, this isn't just an alliance for a single battle, but for a lifetime. You know as well as I do that the alliance between Vortians and Meekrobs had been a mighty one. If we succeed, I shall help you to figure out a way to save your planet. This I promise you."

He stood before the queen's hovering form, no longer bowing like some sort of minion.

He stood there as an equal.

"It is time to stop them, Queen Port. If we can't save you, don't you at least want to do something with the last moments of your life though?"

Queen Port simply gazed out through a window at the far end of the chamber.

She had to do what was right for both her people and all of the other species that had been taken over by the Irkens.

The need of the many outweigh the need of the few- Or the one.

"… I accept, not just to join you for a single battle, but for an alliance for the rest of my life. The life of Meekrob. No matter how much time I and my people have left. Let us go and see if we can directly contact Planet Vortian, I heard they had been having communication problems for a while now. We must prepare for the destruction of planet Irk and Tallest Red."

Many miles away from Planet Meekrob, in a small ship, ex-Advisor Tenn was curled up into a ball, sobbing to herself as the ship's coordinates were set in to send her back to her home planet.

…

_**(Planet Irk, One Day After Birth, Smeet Facility)**_

…

Loud sounds brought the little smeet out of her own world.

Her little dark green hands stopped their movement, glancing upwards at the ceiling, trying to not lose her balance on the chair in the process. The lights on the ceiling shook for a second, but then they had stopped just a moment later. With a shrug she went back to work, tugging at the large cable till she finally connected it to the power outlet. She slowly slid herself off the chair, making sure to actually touch the ground with her tiny legs before heading off to another spot in the facility. The little smeet came before a tube with a green smiley face lit up on it, her own smile lighting up her own features. This little guy was ready to be hatched.

The room around her began to shake once more.

The little smeet may have been very advanced and stronger than most species that had been born just a day ago, but even she could not stay up during this situation. Her legs tumbled under her, wide red eyes looking upwards as she arched her neck to see the ceiling once more. Lights were swinging high above, some debris falling to the bottom floor, and the top floor even started to chip away at everything that was happening. She was not scared though, just confused and curious. What were those sounds? After many moments of just listening her Pak finally helped her to process what the sounds actually were.

Lasers. Shooting. Screaming.

Many Irkens screaming.

"_Attention- Irken citizens! Attention! Irk is under a national planetary lockdown! Everyone must go in doors to the nearest building possible! Stay calm, everything is under control! Please do not resist or you will be marked down as defective! Every one that is marked down shall be given the punishment of execution! Plan Dust is now activating! Repeat- Plan Dust is now activating!_"

Plan Dust? What was Plan Dust? That plan was no where in the information her Pak held.

She gave a shrug once more and went to her previous task. The little smeet tugged and tugged the other end of the cable that wasn't connected to the panel in the wall. The red eyed Irken hissed when she tripped slightly over her clothing that was too long for her little legs, but she still didn't stop her task. The cloth she had been lying on when she had been born had been so warm that she found a metal clip to turn it into a- A- _A dress_, her Pak informed her, _a toga actually_.

Oh. A _To-ga_. Okay!

"_Plan Dust has been authorized by the Tallest. Every Irken except those who were personally appointed will be kept stationed indoors until further notice. At least two soldiers will be placed in every sector. A solider will always be with an individual or a group, there will always be a soldier there… For your safety. Force fields are being placed all around to keep yo- Enemies out. Irk had been hailed from planet… Sekaroo not very long ago, they planning on an attack against Irk. We are trying our best to protect everyone with the lack of energy our planet has."_

_ Planet Sekaroo? Oh, no! Hopefully everyone was indoors! Good thing the Tallest was watching out for everyone! Feeling- What was she feeling? Safe! Now that she was feeling safe knowing that there were no disasters outside, she was finally able to connect the end of the cable she had to the tube with a green smiley face on it. She was almost trembling in joy when her little body had actually completed the first part of the task. Now came the next difficult part of the plan._

_ Getting back on the chair._

_ She skipped towards the metal chair, grunting and hissing when she kept tripping over her __to-ga__ along the way. Something seemed wrong with everything around the birthing facility. First, she had tried to relay the simple things in her Pak- The job she was destined for, Irken history, even her name- Nothing came up though. She didn't even have a name. Earlier today she also noticed that when the smiley faces on the tubes went green no arms came out to power up the chambers like they were supposed to. In a matter of hours the green smiley face was gone and the smeet had never been born. Why though? Was something wrong with the power? Her worry had faded away instantly when a thought came to her, leaving her in a fit of giggles when she had first started her big task._

_ She had power! Her Pak was full of power, probably enough to supply the machines up a little more just to help some of the smeets! Maybe all this place needed was power is all! That's why Tallest Red was the one to do her welcoming; it was because the Control Brains needed a break!_

_ Finally back on top of the chair, after many failed attempts and unspoken curse words that someone her age should not know, she was ready to begin. Finding another open outlet she opened her Pak to let a wire slip out of it, connecting it to the same outlet that the other cord was on. At first there was nothing, and then a gasp of shock left her lips at a sudden feeling. She had just been shocked! Something had shocked her! At once the panel began absorbing the power from her Pak, her little hands pressing buttons at a rapid speed, not knowing what she was really doing._

_ Whatever it was though, it seemed to have been working!_

_"__Only certain individuals will be able to step outside anytime in order to maintain peace. A warning signal will go off if someone that is not the chosen individual goes outside. This lockdown will not be kept for long; it'll only remain till the situation is fixed. Do not resist. Do not go outside unless permitted. We are trying our best to solve the issue."_

_ The little smeet didn't hear any of the words though, eyes only glued to the scene before her._

_ Metallic arms came out of nowhere as they began turning the tube, taking it out of the chamber in the wall it had been stuck in. Simply breaking the tube in half, the lifeless smeet fell to the ground, hunched over in an uncomfortable position. _From the ceiling, another mechanical arm reached downwards towards the smeet, a Pak within the grasp of that arm. The sound of drilling was the only sound that was heard, after holes had been placed into the smeet's back the Pak fit nicely into the open wounds. The other smeet tried to not let a smile cross her face when the other arm zapped the smeet directly on the head, supposedly powering up the Pak and activating the smeet. The arms disappeared back upwards into the darkness of the ceiling, the wire connecting to the panel being pulled out as the smeet slipped off the chair to stumble towards the lying smeet.

Nothing happened though.

The smeet was still in the position that it had been left in on the ground.

The smeet was unmoving.

_But why_? What had gone wrong? The living smeet sniffled pathetically as she lowered herself by the side of the other smeet, placing a hand on the shoulder. She didn't even realize that the walls were still shaking and the screaming had never ceased the entire, simply moving the smeet to lie on its' side instead of staying in that uncomfortable position. She sat there for a few moments, letting her eyes fill with tears as she swam in- What was this? Despair? In despair for the first time ever in her short lifetime. Her hand brushed against the antenna, went over the light green cheek, and stayed on the cheek. Having no other idea on what to do, the little smeet spoke both her very first words and the first words she had ever heard-

"Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty."

"_This is all for your safety. Do not panic. Everything is alright_."

Red met purple.

The two smeets just gazed at each other for many moments, neither moving. The red eyed smeet took in every single feature about her companion lying before her. Light green skin, curled antenna, slightly dark purple eyes, long and dark lashes- Clearly female. The two said nothing until the purple eyed smeet suddenly growled, pushing herself upwards to sit in a criss-cross position to look at her fellow smeet in the eye. Few more moments of silence and that's when she finally scowled.

"Well?"

The red eyed smeet blinked.

"Well what?"

Purple eyed smeet hissed.

"What duty do I need to report to? What's my name? And who the Irk are you?"

Red eyed smeet sneered for the first time since she had been born.

"Aren't you a nasty little smeet? I don't know what your duty is, it's just the words I have to say to you to start up your Pak, I guess. I don't know your name and- I don't have a name."

Her last sentence was a little unsure, tugging the red toga that was tied around her body in a nervous manner. Purple eyes traveled down the smeet's body that was before her vision, never had the red eyed smeet seen someone look so bored. Well, this was the first person she's seen face to face, but still. That wasn't the point. After a few seconds the little smeet clicked her tongue rudely, her high pitched voice breaking though the silence of the room.

"What color are my eyes?"

Another slow blink, just as confused as the one before.

"_Umm_- Purple. A shade of Violet, I guess."

"Yeah? Great. Your name is Red and my name is Purple. Now, what's our duty?"

The other smeet, who was now dubbed Red, let her mouth fall open in shock at the smeet before her.

"What? _Red and Purple_? Those- Those are the names of our _Tallests_! We can't have those names!"

The youngest smeet, Purple, only gave a mocking laugh at her.

"Then be proud of the fact that you've been named after your Tallest! Most Irkens would cut off their antennas to be named after such powerful people! I named you Red and you will like it! You can- _I don't know_- Change your name or something later. Find a way to change your eyes and outfit a different color. I mean, _seriously_, if you didn't want to be called 'Red' you shouldn't wear so much red."

Huh, well- That was a good point. A very sarcastic and rude point, but still a point none-the-less.

Red and Purple it was.

"Oh, alright, fine. Just for now."

"Great, horrible to meet you, Red."

"Displeasure to meet you, too, Purple."

"_**NOW**_- What. Is. Our. Duty?"

"I told you that I don't know what our-!"

Her sentence suddenly halted.

Purple gave an annoyed look, glancing over her shoulder to see what the other smeet was gazing at with wide eyes. There were thousands of tubes towering all around the two, but one single tube stood out from the rest. It was a single tube that was way too high up for the two smeets, the green smiley face on it lighting up rather brightly through the slightly dim facility. She tugged a non-existent eyebrow upwards at the sight, letting her head lazily fall to her shoulder to give a dull look at Red.

"What?"

"Our duty is to figure ways to hatch all of these smeets since the Control Brains can't right now."

Shock was apparent on Purple's face, the first time she had ever experienced the emotion.

"What? All of them?! But- But-"

"Nope. You asked what our duty was and you got it."

Purple hissed when Red stuck her tongue out mockingly.

"We don't even know that many names though! Look at how high that tube is! I can't do this!"

"We'll just make some up. We'll figure out a way to get up there. Come on, it is our job as Irkens to help the Empire out any way we can. The Control Brains aren't working and something is happening top side that is making the Tallest too busy to come down here and check out things. We can do this. Tallest Red hatched me, I hatched you, and you will hatch the smeet up there."

Her antennas dropped downwards slightly.

"Please, Purple, I need your help. I want you to do this with me as a friend."

The other smeet glared at her, but finally gave a sigh as her high pitched voice huffed-

"Fine, Red, fine. But I want a dress thingy like you have."

"Yeah, okay, I'll see if there's anymore cloth left over, I think there is. If not, I'll find you some. It's called a _to-ga_ by the way."

That's when Red and Purple shared a smile for the first time.

…

_**(Floating In The Galaxy, The Massive, Present)**_

…

"This was too easy."

"It was because the amazing ZIM was the one to do this mission! I never fail my Tallest!"

"No, I mean, seriously, this was too easy. Something is wrong."

Gaz stated, lifting her arm outwards so Zim couldn't walk pass her. This had all been too easy. All the guards had been so busy with their own self pity and panicking over Irk's resources that no one even knew that they were on the ship. What useless guards. Along with that, nothing had been set up to set them from getting on the ship! Zim hacked a few things, landed the Voot Cruiser, and they walked through all of the hallways until they found a suspicious door. Opened the door and there it was, a Pak. Miyuki's Pak, to be exact, Zim said that he knew that had to have been Miyuki's Pak. It even still had some of the blob's spit on it from all those years ago! No guards to stop them, no defenses were up, nothing.

She did not get into her '_Vampire Piggy Hunter 6: Ninja Piggies Attack_' outfit for nothing.

There needed to be at least one person she could beat the snot out of.

"Disgusting Gazling, no task is too difficult for Zim. Job well done once again! Now move, get your little Earthling hands out of the way."

The Irken reached forward to touch the Pak that was propped upwards on a little stand, but the human smacked his hand down away from it. Zim hissed, grabbing his hand like he had just been hit by his mother, narrowing his maroon eyes. Gir was coming up behind them from the hallway, bags of chips and donuts within his arms and head opened wide open, showing the world that his head was filled with nacho cheese. The little unit giggled when he saw his master get hit, snuggling up against Gaz's leg when his master glared down at him.

_ "What now?"_

_ "I said this is too easy, Zim. There's probably a trap or something set up."_

_ "Oh, that's it? Okay."_

_ Before a shocked cry could leave her lips a screaming Gir was suddenly thrown against the Pak, donuts and chips flying in the air. Zim didn't even blink as he automatically reached a hand in the air, caught a donut, and brought it down to his mouth so he could take a bite. The little unit kept screaming even after both him and the Pak were on the ground, nothing happening. The human pushed Zim away with a sneer, hurrying towards Gir to make sure he was alright. The Irken waved his hands behind her back in a mocking way, but realizing that it was to no use._

_ "What if that had set up a trap, Zim?! You could have destroyed all of us! I can't believe how stupid you are!"_

_ "__Hmm__- What was that, Gazling? Zim couldn't hear you over the sound of his own greatness."_

_ "At least someone thinks you're great."_

_ She gave a harsh laugh at her retort, earning a hiss from the Irken that was still standing by the closed metallic door. Her hand reached forward to grab Gir, but instead her finger tips brushed up against the Pak's outer edge. Stupid Gir and being covered in cheese! He was so slippery! Before she could reach for Gir again a wire shot out from the Pak, wrapping around her wrist instantly. Gaz tried to tug her hand away but had no luck, a cry escaping her lips when more wires began shooting out of the Pak. Zim instantly come forward to help Gaz, pulling at the holster on her leg to get her laser._

_ "What's happening?!"_

_ "I don't know! I've never seen a Pak do that ever! Even when there had been that mutated Pak virus- __Which Zim did not create for the fun of it__- Paks still didn't do anything like this!"_

_ "Do something __**NOW**__ or __**I'LL END YOUR EXISTENCE WITH A FIERY FIST OF DOOM**__!"_

_ "Fine, fine! I'm going! Pushy meatbag!"_

_ Zim would never admit this, not in his entire lifetime, but he was actually slightly-itty-bitty-tiny-bit worried about what was happening. No matter how many wires he was shooting off more and more kept coming, some slicing across his own skin. The Pak wasn't after him or Gir though, it was trying to get Gaz and only Gaz. Both the laser and his hand were moving rapidly, pulling off wires like his life depended on it. Movements stopped abruptly, magenta eyes widening for a second until the tall Irken slumped forward on top of his own body. Dark purple blood was now traveling down the back of his neck, fingers randomly twitching here and there._

_ The Pak had electrocuted him till he had passed out._

_ "__**Zim**__!"_

_ The teenager cried out, reaching a hand outward for a wire to latch onto it, wrapping both of her arms behind her back. She whipped her head back and forth until she felt something fall against her thigh, glancing downwards to see that Gir was sparking. A gasp left her lips as she tried to keep fighting off the Pak that was climbing up towards her back. Nothing she did help though, she couldn't even protect herself, let alone make sure that Zim and Gir were alright. A snarl overtook her features, not willingly giving up until she felt three sharp tip points touch her back._

_ Pain she had never felt before suddenly overtook all of her senses._

_ The Pak had pushed itself through the thick leather of her clothing, three prongs making a perfect triangle shape in the middle of her back. Her screams were only halted because she bit her bottom lip roughly, ignoring the taste of blood. Oh God, what was happening to her?! What sort of trap was this?! It felt like she was being electrified from the inside out, this was insane. A few moments, which felt like hours to the Earthling, had finally passed and there were no longer any shocking currents. She moaned as the pain lingered on longer than she liked, gripping the side of her head with her palm to try and press down on the headache that was now forming._

_ What on Earth had just happened?!_

_ '__I've been waiting for a mind like yours__.'_

_ Ember eyes widen at the soft, feminine voice that rung through her head._

_ Not her voice, someone else's, a voice that she had never heard in her entire life._

_ '__Whoa- Excuse me__?'_

_ '__Hello, unknown creature. I am Tallest Miyuki, a pleasure to meet you__.'_

_ '__Oh. Hell. No__.'_

_…_

_**(Planet Irk, Few Days After Purple's Birth, Smeet Facility)**_

_…_

_ "__Uhh__- Reef?"_

_ "No, I want better."_

_ "Mip?"_

_ "No. Better."_

_ "Hiktor?"_

_ "No! Better!"_

_ "__Ehh__- __Uhh__- How about… Rimapoke?"_

_ "What? No! That's a terrible name!"_

_ "Your name will be Razz and you will __**LIKE IT**__! Report for duty, moron!"_

_ Green eyes narrowed, arms crossing over his little chest._

_ "Yeah? And what if I don't?"_

_ "I'll beat you up and eat your antennas, that's what! Now, get! I have things I have to discuss with Red!"_

_ The male smeet, who was now called Razz whether he liked it or not, frowned, but gave a nod. He hurried towards a few other smeets that were setting up a large machine in the middle of the room, wires and cords all over the place. Purple slanted her eyes at the group, holding back a sigh of annoyance when she saw a magenta eye smeet tumble over wires, body getting tangled in them at once. Others hurried away from their positions to help him, laughing and joking to help lighten the mood. By Irk, that Zimlyminotopin guy was going to be the death of everyone one day, Purple just knew._

_ Red and Purple turned towards each other with a grin._

_ "That Razz guy is gonna be trouble, can't believe he tried to argue about his name."_

_ "Ah, well, it happens. No worries, I just want him to help us out is all."_

_ "So, report for today, Red?"_

_ "We now officially have eight smeets, ten including the two of us. Min and Kiba went farther back into the facility today and found a lot of different supplies. Fabric to make actual clothing, more circuits to connect the internal wirings of the machine, and some more food. Apparently the workers that had once been here had an addiction to donuts, chips, soda, and pretzels. That's alright though; we shouldn't be stuck with the same food for too much longer though. There was also-"_

_ "When are we going to go top side?"_

_ The smeet tilted her head over to gaze at her rather blunt friend, a weak smile crossing her lips. The same question had been on her mind for a while now. When will they go to the top side where they belonged with the rest of the Irken Race? Would it be tomorrow? Today maybe? She had finally come up with an answer to the question finally when she saw the other smeets working on the machine in the middle of the facility._

_ "When we get the machine built and working properly. Our duty is to make sure that the smeet facility is running on its own and won't need an Irken's Pak to power it up. We can do this, Purple, we can. It'll take no time at all and I have a feeling that this… This is our actual duty to the Empire, whether it was placed into our Pak or not. This is why we were born."_

_ "__Pfft__- Getting all wise and stuff. That's lame. But yeah, I get it, it is our job to do this for the Empire and I'm glad I get to do it with you. Come on, let's go and get some chips before Zimlyminotupin finds a way to destroy them. Poor guy, he's such a klutz, keeps messing things up."_

_ "Ha! Right? Poor Zimlyminotupin! Yesterday when him and Trapinch were connecting the outer wires he electrocuted himself when he accidentally got his antenna stuck in the socket. What is it that we say all the time though?"_

_ "__Oh, that Zim__!"_

_ The two giggled as they hurried back towards where everyone else was, going to help out the group with their task._

_…_

_**(Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters, Present)**_

_…_

_ He should have known from the beginning._

_ He should have known that it was him who did this._

_ He should have known that, of course, it was him. _

_**It always him**__._

_ And yet, he didn't know._

_ In the shadows a tall figure was leaning forward in a hovering chair, glaring red eyes glued to the screen that was inches from his face. Playing was the same video that he had seen over millions of time. This time was different though. This time he finally knew who took Purple. How could he have not known? Yeah, he was taller, much taller. A lot taller. So tall that the Tallest himself was slightly impressed with his height and- Dare he say it to himself even when he was alone?- And even a little imitated. Not imitated by the Irken, but the height of the Irken. He wasn't supposed to get tall, than again, he wasn't supposed to still be alive after all these years, was he? Yet he was and there he was on the screen._

_ It was always him._

_ He should have known. Why didn't he even think that it could have been him?_

_ Well, that was easy enough to come up with answers for. Because the Irken on the screen was tall and not a single ounce of cockiness was on his features, that wasn't the Irken he had banished. The Irken dropping towards Tallest Purple at rapid speed was brave, willing to do anything for his Tallest, moves were so precise- Not the moron he knew. Clothing on the very tall Irken no longer fit him, but the annoying creature he knew had that same outfit and it had fit him perfectly years ago. Sure, he hadn't actually paid attention to how much the Irken changed over the years, but why should he? _

_ On screen during their transmissions he was still cocky, still moronic, and still very, __**very**__ annoying. Maybe he should have paid attention a bit more, but he didn't blame himself for not looking very hard at him during transmissions. He wasn't supposed to change. He __didn't__ change. Yet there the Irken was- Very tall, very mighty, and very much in control. Something must have been wrong with the screen. There had to be something wrong with the screen he was watching from._

_ Because on this screen was a worthy Irken, not the defect he knew so well from the Massive's screen._

_ He knew the defect._

_ Not __that__ Irken._

_ Still, he should have known._

_ Now came the part that still hurt to watch. _The image on the screen showed Tallest Purple falling through the air, his mouth opened wide in a screaming motion. Only about fifty feet away from the Tallest was a tall Irken with his arms pressed against his sides, speeding through the air like a bullet to reach towards his Tallest. Purple caught the sight of the Irken and his screaming halted for a few moments, wide eyes gazing at him for many moments. When something clicked inside his head he opened his mouth to scream in shock and horror-

"_**ZIM**_?!"

The Tallest on screen wasn't the only Tallest to scream the defect's name though.

The enraged leader began knocking items off the desk all around him, shattering items in every single direction in the chamber. _Of course it was Zim who took Purple! Of course! Wasn't it always that defect?!_ His fists slammed against the panel board by the screen, not caring that he crushed it to pieces. Zim, Zim, ZIM! That stupid defect! He should have just executed him with his bare hands when he had the chance! Dark purple blood trailed down the sides of his hands, but he didn't care. This pain didn't even match the emotional and mental pain he had been going through for months. Why did Zim keep Tallest Purple to himself? How did that defect come out of no where like he knew something wrong was going to go down?! Why? _**WHY**_?! What hurt the most though?

The fact that he should have known.

_**HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!**_

Breathing heavily, the Tallest mindlessly wiped his blood off on his robe, not even looking around the room that he had completely destroyed. He had never figured out a way to save Irk. He never fixed the smeet birthing facilities; he had never found a different power source to keep Irk going without the Control Brains, and he hadn't even found a way to repair the Control Brains to restore all off their coding and Irken history. His citizens were no longer his citizens, Irkens could no longer be hatched so there would be no future generation, and even his highest officers could not be trusted. At least one thing was going right though. Just one single thing.

He could get his best friend back. Maybe Purple would help fix everything.

"Sic."

Tallest Red spoke to his communicator on his wrist, on purpose not using the Irken's rank.

"_Yes, my Tallest_?"

"Contact the Massive. I want the ship sent to Irk. Now."

"_My Tallest_?!"

"I did the job that you were supposed to do. I found where Tallest Purple is located. I'm taking the Massive and going to get him. Personally."

"… _Tallest Red, you can't! What about Plan Dust? What of our power resources, our birthing facilities, and everything else that hasn't been fixed? We are running out of food supplies and basic needs! We can't even recharge all the way since the power is almost completely gone! You have Irkens locked into buildings with no way to leave or go to their jobs! __**You have your own citizens in quarantine**_! _**You**_-"

"Get me the Massive, Sic."

"_**YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO YOUR OWN**_-!"

"I just did. You have no idea what Irk needs. Look at you, you tried to run off with your little mate and run away from your own home planet. I'm finding ways to fix it and all you're doing is crying like a smeet to yourself. Contact the Massive now or I'll deactive Gig right here and right now."

"… _You're not that Tallest you used to be, Red_."

"Yeah? And you're not the Commander you used to be, especially since you don't even have the rank of a Commander anymore. Shame, too, you were one of my favorite Irkens, Sic. You used to have honor and all that other stuff no one actually cares about. You had to go and put your own pathetic needs into this situation though. Now, I believe I ordered you to do something."

All the Tallest received on the end of the line was static, the ex-Commander doing as his Tallest ordered.

Tallest Red stared into the darkness of the room, no longer watching the screen for the fact that he had broken it during his rage fit. Was Sic right? Was he different? Thinking over the entire situation he did seem a bit… _Crazier_. He was forcing his own people to stay indoors, was there even a point to that? He had known Sic since both his and Purple's academy years, never once had Sic done something to harm either Tallest. If Zim had Purple, then he was probably safe. Zim wouldn't hurt Purple; he was too far loyal for that. Maybe he did need to stay on Irk too-

Red didn't even realize that he had twitched.

Sic was a moron who didn't know what he was talking about. Just another stupid Irken who was crying in his own misery and not helping out Irk. As Tallest he couldn't have everyone running around Irk like idiots, they would just waste more power and time. It was for their safety. Zim might not intentionally hurt Purple, but he was known to screw things up. Getting Purple back would take no time at all. He would come back with Purple and they would fix everything together. Maybe the other Tallest had ideas that he never even thought of. Irk was his top priority. He was Tallest, he knew what was needed and not! Tallest Purple was needed. Fixing the power supply was needed. Birthing smeets was needed. Getting the coding back was needed. Plan Dust was needed.

Control was needed.

…

_**(Planet Irk, Few Days Ago, Smeet Facility)**_

…

"Purple, report every smeet that was have now in chronological order."

"What?"

"… What?"

Red questioned back to her closest companion, antennas bending downwards at the baffled expression.

"I didn't even know what that word means!"

It took every ounce she had not to smack herself in the face.

"Just tell me everyone from oldest to youngest, including us."

"OH! Okay. _Jeez_- Could have just said it like that. Reporting in all smeets! Red, Purple, Zimlyminotupin, Min, Kiba, Tiff, Trapinch, Rust, Kem'mon- _Who's after Kem'mon_…? Oh, yeah! Razz, Shleet, Larkz, Woorb, Meeno, Skooter, Yeena, Heath, and Nacho. There are exactly eighteen smeets including you and I, Red!"

A smile graced Red's face at the sight of all the smeets standing at attention behind Purple, and though some of them weren't doing it properly, each one was saluting. She gave a nod at the group, saluting back until they raised all their hands downwards at the same time. Strolling towards Purple's side, the two girls shared a look and then turned their attentions back towards the group. She may have been counted as the leader, but even after all this time (which wasn't much mind you, for she was only a couple weeks old), she still felt really awkward talking before the group of smeets. Their leader put on a smile anyway, not showing how nervous she actually was about the entire ordeal.

"Today is the day."

Who knew such simple words would start a load of chaos?!

"What?! _**TODAY**_?!"

"Finally! I'm so excited!"

"OW! Stop jumping, you stepped on my foot! Today though, really?"

"Is it finally here?!"

"No way! _NoWayNoWayNoWAY_!"

"This is the greatest thing EVER!"

"Who would have believed…?"

"Are you sure it's all ready?"

All eyes turned towards the quiet voice, some gazes narrowed, few others with wide eyes, and one smeet just simply gazed at him. He took a step before the crowd, tugging nervously with a light green hand on his very high white collar, no one being able to tell if he was frowning or not because of it. Both antennas and eyes lowered at the expression most of the other smeets were giving him, shuffling his hands into his white laboratory coat.

Red had always liked his eyes the most out of everyone else's eyes. They were a metallic color with white marks randomly through them, the result of slipping with some random concoction he made first day he was born. Thank the almighty Tallest that he didn't go blind. He was such a spazz; one of his antennas was bent more than the other because he had broken it when he fell on some wires. Even if he was a klutz he was the most intelligent one out of all of them, it was him that came up with the idea for a machine to power up the entire Smeet Facility.

It was so hard for her to not be drawn in by Zimlyminotupin.

"Why would you ask such a thing you-"

"Don't even start, Razz! You've had a mouth since the first day you were born and I'll happily smack that mouth if you harass Zimlyminotupin one more time!"

The green eyed smeet immediately closed his mouth at his leader's hiss. Soft red eyes turned back towards oddly colored metallic eyes, a smile tugging at her mouth. She didn't need to see under his popped collar to know that he was smiling himself, shifting his hands out of his pockets.

"You know it's ready. We've been working on this project this entire time and your plan is flawless. The blue prints were perfect! It's ready!"

"What if one of the wires is wrong though? What if we didn't connect something properly and it explodes? I don't want it to go off and hurt everyone here if it explodes!"

"Explode? Come on, Zim, you know it's going to work fine! Have faith in yourself! It's not like-"

The obnoxious noise of a loud click interrupted their conversation.

All eyes turned towards where the sound came from, all mouths falling open at the sight. Kem'mon was taking a few steps away from the large machine in the middle of the room, head tilted upwards to give it a once over. Turning his magenta eyes back towards the group he gave a simple shrug, smirk crossing his lips.

"What? Someone needed to press the button and it wasn't going to be you two."

The group of eighteen smeets huddled together when the lights of the machine kicked on, blue and yellow colors now shinning all over the chamber. Red didn't even realize that she was tightly gripping both Purple and Zimlyminotupin in her grasp, large eyes never pulling away from the machine. Turners began to whirl away and the machine cried out for the very first time in a high pitched whine. Had this been a silly idea? Was this going to work? Both Zim and her had agreed that perhaps connecting the machine power outlets to unused Paks would help power up everything, but maybe they were wrong. Perhaps the Pak needed to be connected to an Irken to be used; Red had just thought that maybe if they could use a Pak without the Irken then maybe, just maybe, there would be a new power source.

Not an unlimited power source for the facility, but a new one to help just a bit.

Cheers of joy erupted like a volcano when metallic arms began the process they had done so many times before. Unscrew the tube with the green smiley face out, break it in half, put holes into the smeet, and then place the Pak in through the holes. When arms retracted was when the leader of the group slipped forward towards the unmoving smeet, a smile tugging at her lips at the pale green skin. She was so very tiny, itty bitty, with a single long and dark eye lashed on each closed eye. She was perfect as the nineteenth smeet to join their colony.

"Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty."

Dark purple eyes met red orbs.

"Hi, I'm Red. You don't know me, but you will. We're all here to help show you around and to be your companions. Your name will be Device, is that alright with you?"

There it was- What Red looked for every time she talked to a new smeet.

That smile.

"Yes. I'm happy to be here, Red."

At once all of the smeets gathered around the newcomer, chatting away non-stop and pulling her into the first hugs she had ever received. The leader slipped out of the crowding group, heading towards the machine in the middle of the room. Purple and Zimlyminotupin joined each side of their leader, none of them uttering a single word as they simply gazed at the machine. Not needing to say a word all three of them raised their hands in the air to pass each other a high-three, each of them giddy and giggly. It was Red who was jumping in her spot slightly, turning her attention towards Purple to give her a wide grin.

"Do you get what this means?!"

"Yes! No! …No. Yeah, I mean, no, I don't. Not really. What?"

"We have just created a new power source for Irk! The birthing facilities are going to be fully running again!"

There was no way that the little leader would know that their new invention would power more than the birthing facilities- Unless Irk collapsed within itself first from corruption.

…_**To Be Continued**_…

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What?! No look into the rest of Purple's memories?!

Lol no, I'm very tired and have much too pack up, so here are some answers on what happened to the little smeet from many chapters ago. :D

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Love all of you guys and hopefully I'll be able to update soon! Till next time, everyone, have a great day!

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	16. Reactivation

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Hi, guys! Long time no see! Sorry it's been a while, but you know how it goes with life. Boot Camp sucked (Lol that's why it's not called 'Fun Camp') but graduated and I'm going through A-School to learn how to do my rate. I love all of you and I'm so sorry it's been forever! But a promise is a promise, I'm going to finish this story! This chapter may be- Dull since I don't really know how to properly type anymore, but I'll work on it! Promise! Just outta touch is all! Characters my be OC in this chapter by the way!

_**ZooLogy**_: You. Are. Amazingly. Crazy! I can't believe you reviewed every single chapter! Thank you so much for helping me reach to a hundred reviews, thanks to everyone! This means the world to me! By the way, Gir and the beaver battle would have been awesome. Lasers are kickass. ;) Of course you can use AIR, I can't wait to have time to read your Diary! Ah! I mean, _NOT_ a diary! ;) Every review made me still, this really does mean the world to me! I couldn't help but smile the first time I was allowed on a computer after graduation! (I will have a much better reply to you and everyone else later, I'mma be lazy right now. D;)

So, let me start this (probably very rough, dry, and odd) chapter! :D

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**_Reactivation_**

In a single blink Dib found himself sprawled out on the cold metal floor, throwing his heads upwards instantly when realizing that he was no longer in the same place that he had been once before. What happened to Miyuki's Pak? Where was Young Purple?! His brown eyes glanced around his surrounding till he caught the sight of two Irkens before him, sorrow and confusion etching all over his features. Young Purple was curled up on a large bed with blue sheets, face buried onto the top of his unit's head. At the foot of the bed was none other than Red, ridged back up against the edge of the bed with his black mask drawn over his mouth. The chamber was dimly lit, paintings of what appeared to be Irk all over the walls, one picture stood out among all of the other paintings. It was a large portrait of the once Tallest Miyuki, her body nuzzled comfortably with the arms of Advisor Spork, Elite member Red by the Advisor's side and Purple with his SIR Unit by the Tallest. The group was grinning in the picture, not the same type of smile from Purple's goofy smile to Red's wicked grin, but they were happy. So unlike how they were now. It took the human a couple of moments to realize that Tallest Purple was sprawled out by his side, his purple eyes gazing onwards at the portrait with so much emotion though his face showing none. A sob broke the bitter silence, the teenager whipping his head around to see the Irken that had let out the pitiful sound.

"I'm sorry, it's not like me-"

"_Purple_. We just lost Tallest Miyuki less than two days ago. We gained Spork as a Tallest just to lose him in a matter of a day also. We just let two Tallests and many other Irkens die without being able to save them when we're the top guards. We were just told that we're to be the next Tallests in a matter of hours with no warning. Lose our thumbs, never talk to our comrades again, figure out how to repair Irk after the Blob incident, and to lose our SIR units. Irk is now in our hands. You can cry."

All that he received as a response was another sob.

Dib's face paled, wide eyes turning towards the Tallest by his side, not missing the baffled expression on his features.

"Why am I crying?"

"What? You just lost your Tallest! Apparently you just lost both Miyuki and Spork and-"

"No, you don't get it. I understand that much, Meatbag. I remember all that happened. Miyuki dying, Spork being eaten by the Blob less than a day later, the destruction of most of Irk's surface and the lives that were lost. I know that. But I never cried about it."

"You- _What_?"

"What are you? Deaf? You heard me! I never cried about it! I remember being super I-Just-Got-Free-Chips happy to become Tallest! I was jumping and cheering! Red and I were the two happiest Irkens in all of the universe by the news! I was so happy, yet... I just lost my Tallest, Red's instructor was killed before our eyes, and we failed to protect Irk. And I also lost-"

The pair of purple eyes gazed at the Elite member who was cuddling with his unit, trembling uncontrollable.

"My unit. Even becoming tallest wouldn't make me happy after that."

"So, why do you remember being happy? You remembered everything else after you saw it. Why can't you remember being happy?"

"Because being happy never happened. It was all fake."

Before Dib could let the question slip from his lips the sound of shattering glass broke his train of thought, snapping upwards at the sound. The red eyed Irken was smashing the random objects around the room, breaking paintings over his knee and using his fist to break glass vases. His best friend cried out his name but he was ignored, the Irken rampaged through the chamber in a fit of sudden rage that he hadn't been able to let out in two days. When his finger tips dangled a few inches away from the portrait a ragged cry was heard, being tackled only a few moments later. Fists were flying and Irken curse words were being hissed, Purple roughly biting Red's antenna. He gave a yell of pain at bite, gripping his best friend's wrist into one of his palms, twisting it towards a direction it wasn't used to. As soon as the cry of agony left his lips a cocking sound was heard, both Elite members stopping their motions. AIR held a laser pressed against the back of Red's head, eyes glowing a bright scarlet within the dim chamber. He let his companion's wrist slip from his grasp, hands lifting upwards in defense to show the unit he was no longer harming his master. If only his unit had been this good before being deactivated hours ago. Purple was lucky, he had hidden AIR away before they could find him. Just a few more hours, just some more time, but it would never be enough time. Never. Though tear stains were on his cheeks Purple still sneered up at Red, ignoring the fact that he was the one pinned to the ground.

"I know you're scared, so am I. I'm terrified. You won't destroy of the last things we have of Miyuki and Spork. I know how you felt about Spork. Don't do this to his memory, Red. _Don't_."

The other Irken crumbled instantly, falling into the arms of his best friend without a single sound. Not a sound nor word was needed though, the desperation on his features was enough.

"How he felt?"

Tallest Purple looked a bit awkward at Dib's question, tugging at his robes like the temperature just went up by a few degrees.

"Red felt- Strongly for Spork. It wasn't a pitiful emotion like_ love_ if that's what you're thinking! But Red, he... Admired Spork, a lot. A lot lot. More than an instructor, more than a comrade, like... I don't even know how to explain it. I was always his bets friend, ever since we've been smeets, but with Spork there was... A connection."

"Even with his freaky eyes?"

"Even with his freaky eyes. They were really creepy though, weren't they?"

"We can't do this, Pur."

Red's voice broke through their conversation, the two turning their heads towards the scene. Red eye were glancing all over the little unit, fingers trailing over the top of AIR's head as though he was just a smeet. The unit had calmed down back to his usual self, acting perfectly alright with the Elite member's lingering touches. In no time AIR was going to be deactivated. Nothing of your past life was allowed when you became Tallest. No pictures, no old comrades, no SIR units, nothing of the sort. If there was some sort of information that an enemy could use with the objects then they could destroy you. Which Red thought was utterly stupid- Miyuki and Spork were close and he had come along after she became Tallest, why couldn't they just use Spork against her? Threaten to kill him or something? Oh, that's right.

Tallests and those of higher rank aren't supposed to let themselves feel for others in such a way.

"We have to."

"But we can't! Look at this! How can you sit there and say we have too? We just lost the two closest Irkens to us in a less than two days! Miyuki died right before your eyes, Purple! Eaten in just one bite! And Spork? He died the same fate! Screaming in agony! Fear in his eyes! He had just become Tallest and lost it in no time! During the Tallest ceremony that beast had attacked! I should have saved him!"

"Please, Red, don't blame yourself for his death!"

"He pushed me out if the way, Purple!"

"He had too! You would have died along with him if he hadn't! By the past Tallest, Red, I already lost Miyuki and Spork, don't make me lose you, too! Don't let Spork's death be in- In-"

"Vain. The word is vain."

The two leaned against each other, AIR seated comfortably between the two. In a few seconds the two had flung each other within the other's grasp, embracing tightly with the little unit smushed in between the hug. Shattered glass pieces and ripped pictures were ignored as the two held onto each other as though this may be their last hug ever given, both trembling pitifully. Harsh breathing and choked stutters was all that was heard in the chamber. They stayed like this for many moments and all Dib and Tallest Purple did was watch, barley even two feet away from the others. Two days. To lose two Tallests, have Irk destroyed, and be told that you were to be Tallest over a planet in a devastated time while you yourself were devastated. No wonder why they were crying. The Earthling felt himself breaking at the scene before him, reaching a hand out as though to put his hand on Young Purple's own hand. A green hand latched onto his, tugging Dib's hand downwards with a half smile, though eyes were narrowed sadly.

"Stop that. I'm fine. Don't act like I haven't gotten through this. I'm a Tallest. I'm fine."

"Yeah, but _he's_ not."

When realizing that Dib was gesturing towards his younger self he said nothing, just gripped his hands a bit tighter than he liked. This was a memory that he didn't remember, but _he_ did. The part of him that did remember these memories was still experiencing them every single moment. Haunting _him_. Destroying _him_. Killing _him_. They really were two different Irkens, sure, he had gone through all of this- But he didn't remember. _He_ did.

"Tallest Spork was carrying the collar at the ceremony."

"Yeah, we know, that's why he was attacked. That monster wanted his collar back."

"He had not been carrying the collar before the ceremony."

"What?"

Red tugged away from Purple, both him and the unit's master passing the unit a shocked expression. The unit tilted his head downwards slightly, as thought possibly thinking over something in his head. A nod was given to the two, eyes glowing in the dim light.

"He had not been carrying it. I thought it would be of your best intentions, master, if I examined his body every time he left our sight to make sure of no new wounds and other issues. He had not been carrying the collar when he went to meet with the Control Brains, when he had come out of the chamber less than 3.45 degrees later, he was carrying it- Inside of his Pak."

"His Pak? Spork never carried things in his Pak. He always gave me his items to carry so he'd have an excuse to have me around all the time!"

Red hadn't even realized what he had just spoken out, though it didn't matter. This was serious. Why would Spork have the monster's collar in his Pak? Wasn't the collar the thing that controlled the Blob? hadn't- Hadn't the collar been missing when Miyuki had been eaten whole? Eyes glanced towards each other, unsure twitches and fidgeting from the positions they sat in. What did this mean? Spork would never plan Miyuki's death. Even if he some how did in some twisted way, why would he carry the collar on him? Why not send the evidence off to another planet for no one could find it? And...

And why did he have it after he left the Control Brains?

"Why would he have it after he left the Control Brains?"

"Better question. Why did the Control Brains have the collar in the first place? Zim said it was the collar that helped to control the beast, so why would they have it?"

Red and Purple gazed at each other for a few moments, AIR being grasped by each of their hands.

"You know, Miyuki always talked about the Control Brains. The last few months. Often. Said something was wrong with them. Destruction, deceiving, something was wrong with their Origin Coding, and she even said something about not being able to remember her own memories. Do you think...?"

"...That the Control Brains? No. No, they couldn't of. Why? It just doesn't make sense!"

"None of this does. Something is wrong though, Red, very wrong and she knew. Spork must have found out something, too. There's-"

The horrid sound of agonized screams filled the air only a second later.

Dib hadn't even realized that he reached outwards to throw his arms around Tallest Purple when the lasers shot out of no where. His body huddled over the Tallest's own form, not tall enough to completely protect him, but still trying. It took him a few seconds to realize that no one the lasers were going to hit them (_This was a memory. Duh, Dib, get off Purple. That's creepy_.), fingers still dug within the purple robes. Wide eyes of the Tallest stared at the sight of his younger self wobbling back and forth, desperately trying to figure out where this pain was coming from. He tried to lift his arms upwards but nothing worked, slumping downwards against Red's own fallen body. Miyuki's chamber door was wide open, two other muscular Elite members standing through the open doorway with laser guns within their grasp. Stun ray. They had put the ray on stun, no doubt. Their eyes seemed to have been lifeless and unblinking, like it was just a hollow body without a soul. Young Purple tried to move at all, but nothing was working, eyes starting to water from not being able to blink. AIR was slumped downwards by his chest, wires fried and circuits not whirling away with Red also stunned, the entire group not being able to do anything. Why had they been attacked by their own race? What in Irk's name was going on?!

One of the muscular Irkens took slow steps into the room before he was only a few inches away from Young Purple. They two made eye contact, but it felt as though the future Tallest was just being stared right through. This was creepy. Why was he just staring like that? It was silent until the standing Irken moved his foot a few inches, positioning his face right by Purple's face. His booted foot lifted upwards and moved backwards, staying in midair for a few moments.

As soon as the kick was delivered directly to his face Dib and Tallest Purple disappeared.

_..._

_(Floating In The Galaxy, Massive, Present)_

_..._

"Get. Off. Of. _ME_!"

Gaz roared, twisting her arms backwards to try and tug the Pak off with no success. Her nails dug through the metal from her little fit of rage, but it would do no good. The Pak was stuck onto her, through bone and everything. Huh. She felt pretty good for something that just went through bone and flesh.

_'That is because the Pak heals at a much faster rate.'_

She growled.

"I don't care. What do you want?"

_'The same thing you do. Answers. Destruction. To be done with this entire situation.'_

"Didn't you die? Weren't you already out of this situation before you attached yourself to me like some sort of disease?"

_'I can't rest in peace until I know they're destroyed.'_

"Who?"

_'The Control Brains_.'

"Yeah. Uh-huh. And what do I have to do with this?"

The Earthling was completely ignoring the fact that she was talking out loud to herself, pacing around the room with her hands behind her back. Well, more like stomping in frustration, but still. She stepped over Zim's body without so much as a glance, making sure to use her foot to push Gir closer towards his master. Let Zim wake up with Gir right by his face, it'll be funny a funny scene. Probably will result in loads of screaming and ranting. She liked screaming. Her eyebrow tugged upwards when she felt a force that was pulling at her brain, tongue pushing up against the inside of her mouth.

"What?"

_'You know Purple. I am glad he became Tallest, both him and Red were fine Elite members. The best. And Zim was a great scientist. Quite insane, but just as amazing.'_

"But what does this have to do with me?"

_'Hmm- I see you are not up for a discussion. Very well, it is simple enough. Destroy the Control Brains and I will unattach myself from you_.'

"And what if I don't, huh? What if I don't want to agree to this?"

_'You? Not wanting to destroy or have a good fight? I can read your thoughts, I have already gone through your past memories, this is a task you wish to have. You enjoy this sort of thing. You would please Zim this way.'_

She snorted.

"Why do you think I give a damn what Zim thinks?"

_'I can read your thoughts.'_

No remark was given back about the issue.

"Yeah, okay, fine. But I'm supposed to take you back to Earth to have you looked at. They don't believe that there was actually anything wrong with the Control Brains. They think you were crazy as my brother. I can't just go and destroy the Control Brains! Isn't that like- I don't know- Irk's God or something?"

_'If that is so, you can say that you have killed a God. You are tired of trying to figure out this entire situation. As am I. I never took action in time to save the Irken Empire, but you can. Destroy them.'_

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I was told that one brain is destroyed and the entire Planet is in chaos. Wouldn't destroying them just ruin the entire planet?"

_'Then they shall make a new start for themselves. A new power source, new memories, new rules- Not ones created from creatures that are not completely Irken.'_

"You're insane!"

Gaz cried out, hands tugging at her dark purple hair, not knowing what to do. Only with this Miyuki for a few minutes and she was already having a headache! _Gah_! It was like talking to Dib! What was she supposed to do? Find a way to steal the Massive, fly towards Irk, figure out where the Control Brains were, and destroy them?!

'_Exactly_.'

"Stop reading my thoughts!"

_'I would if I could. But I cannot. And I truly don't want to stop. Come, Gaz, just do this. I know you are tired of this entire situation as I am. For months all you have heard is arguments and discussions, but no actions. Destroy them. If you destroy them everything will go back to normal for you.'_

"Yeah? And what of the Irkens?"

_'They shall figure something out. We are not a weak race.'_

"... Fine. What's first?"

_'Steal the ship.'_

Her amber eyes glanced downwards at Zim's lying form, eyebrow tugging upwards slightly.

"And him?"

_'You must not let Zim know of what your intentions are. No Irken has attacked the Control Brains on purpose for destruction, only in self defense. It is impossible for us too. That is why I have been waiting for a creature such as you. Leave him there. Take the ship, place in the coordinates for Irk, and destroy them.'_

"You know, I've never had someone make me change my mind so quickly- But maybe you aren't so insane. I like the way you think."

The Earthling took one final glance at Zim before she slipped through the metal door of the chamber, letting it slide shut behind her. Steal the ship. Fly it to Irk. Destroy the Control Brains. Try not to get killed because you're about to kill some sort of God to the Irken race. Yeah, okay, this sounded like a fun day. Maybe this was an easier way to deal with things. All the others did was discuss and whine, it was time to take action. Destroying the Control Brains would be fine, right?

_...Right? _

A soft laugh was heard from the back of her mind, her new Pak popping open as metallic arms lifted multiple weapons out towards her gaze.

_'I have come to realize that I am very much insane. I am just not defective though. Take a stun ray and your first left, main deck is down that way.'_

Gaz cocked the laser gun.

"This is going to be fun."

_..._

_(On Irk, Control Brains Headquarters, Past)_

_..._

The platform was cold against his palms, Tallest Purple lifting his head upwards from his kneeling position to instantly regret it moments later. The ceiling was towering high above his head, walls looming over him as though to mock him. An eerie light was created from the blue light of thousand of wires twisted around objects and the scarlet poles that were illuminating the deadly color. The only sound heard was the whirling of circuits and the buzzing of currents being shot off here and there. He knew this place. He had hated this place before he had even destroyed it on accident. Control Brains Headquarters. No other place had ever scared him in such a way. Not even when he had been captured during a mission with Miyuki on planet Beersche and held over the oozing acid of the Beerchion's spit. _Whoa_- Where had that memory come from?!

"-**You have awoken, Elite Purple**.-"

Young Purple snapped his gaze towards the Control Brains floating high above him many feet away, wires dangling randomly from every inch around them. He instantly reached towards Red without even caring what the Control Brains thought, checking over his best friend. No wounds, not bleeding, he seemed alright other than the fact that he was still out cold. He pulled his best friend into his arms, glaring upwards at the Control Brains, who seemed to have been glaring back. Dib lifted up his own head finally, both him and the Tallest making eye contact for a brief moment, grim expressions telling all. They both turned back towards the scene before them, the Tallest not realizing that the Earthling was inching towards his younger self.

"What have you done?!"

The younger one caught on to something missing, cheeks dimming down a few shades.

"_Where's AIR_?!"

"-**Deactivated. A Tallest has no SIR Unit. A fact you knew when you were told you were to become Tallest**.-"

"_D-Deactivated_? No. _No, no, no_... Not AIR. He never did anything! He could have just been reset and sent to a new invader or Elite member!"

"-**No. The unit could not. It knew too much, just as you do. It could have spread false information and sent the Empire into chaos. Just as you would have if we had not gotten to you first, Elite Purple**-"

And even though he was terrified out of his wits with his best friend was limp in his arms and SIR Unit now gone, he still dared to hiss at the Control Brains.

"It was you who killed Miyuki. It was you who took the collar and opened the cage to send the creature to attack her. You murdered both her and Spork. She always said that you were insane. Your Origin Code is created by Irken, Meekrob, and Vortian language. There was an extra chip in her Pak that wasn't supposed to be there. The memories she can't remember. She even said that there is no proof that we as Irkens ever agreed on taking over the galaxy. What? Was it the Meekrob part of you that decided on that? Why are you doing all of this? What is this about?!"

"-**Control, Elite Purple. Something you clearly lack. A trait both Tallest Miyuki and you have in common. This is all about which race will survive based on what type of control mechanism works**.-"

He was taken back by the abrupt answer.

"Huh?"

"-**A tale from long ago. Three beings had made a bet on the seeing what the perfect amount of control was needed to form the strongest species. Left was based upon control being set on one being with all the power. Right believes that giving an entire race their own free will of ultimate power will create the stronger race. And it is I that will prove victorious when Irk is the last standing, for you can not give too little nor too much. I do not have complete and utter control of the Irkens, but enough to keep you in line. Enough to have you functioning properly with no issues and as the top species. Those three beings placed themselves within the coding of a machine and became the Control Brains, the most powerful creation ever invented. No machine has ever run three very powerful planets on their own. In simple terms- We are playing a game and you are pawns for our little game.**

**You lack control though, Elite Purple. Rash. Far too sudden. Falls into his emotions. It is difficult to be set on the mission if you keep listening to every little thing someone says. Such as what Miyuki had told you about us. A very bad trait as a Tallest, the mission comes first, not emotion. Red, on the other spectrum, is far too in control. He only focuses on the planet. The Irkens and only the Irkens. It is only about Irk, not all of the surrounding planets that must be taken over. You both are intelligent, though not in the way that is needed for a dominant power source that Irk is trying to obtain. I would much prefer you to be dumb and follow orders than to be intelligent and be completely useless to the Empire. You both are unfit to rule properly right now. I shall fix that though. Both Elite Red and you will receive a different control chip than everyone else's chip. A stronger one. A better one. A chip that is needed for future rulers.-"**

This was too much to take in for both young and old Purple.

"_I_- I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

"-**Another simple answer**.-"

A wire shot outwards, capturing Purple's hand, tugging him away from Red.

"-**You will not remember this after we're through**.-"

Wires were shooting out from too many directions, Purple's fear taking over while flailing his arms around madly to try and get the wires away from him. Metallic arms pinned his body to the platform, cheek pressed downwards onto the ice cold metal. He cried out his best friend's name though Red didn't even stir, limp body being lifted upwards into the air by the arms. The young Irken screamed as loud as he could, struggling fruitlessly and any attempts of escape going unnoticed by lack of success. He felt his Pak being pulled open from the top, terror etching through his features with three fingered hands digging through the flooring underneath. Tallest Purple spoke not a word when Dib leaned over towards the younger Purple, the Elite member had his eyes slammed tightly shut, sobs raking through his body at the intense pain of being electrified. _This wasn't happening_! _This can't be happening_! The Earthling let his hand slip on onto the screaming Irken's hand, trying his hardest to ignore his own tears welling up in his eyes. This was useless, he knew it was, but he couldn't just sit there and watch the scene. It made him feel better, even if he couldn't actually help out, it was still there. The effort. It was all he could do not.

"-**The chip is preparing to activate. Control will be stabilized. Red and you shall complete each other as rulers of Irk. You will be the perfect amount of control. I will help you to achieve this**.-"

The Irken symbol was wiped from his forehead and thumbs were sliced off in less than two seconds. The human refused to let go of the bleeding hand that belonged to the sobbing Irken, his own teeth grit in emotional turmoil. How could they have done this to him? This was all just some sort of bet? _A game_?! None of this even truly made any sense! And it didn't make sense, but damnit if he was going to let go! He couldn't actually touch him and he knew that this Purple didn't know he was there, but he cared! He cared for too much to just sit in his own sorrow! So through the screaming and bleeding he held onto the very hand of the future Tallest, tears crossing his cheeks that he didn't even want to be. One sentence was whispered through his lips that Tallest Purple heard-

"_It's going to be okay_."

The purple orbs met upwards at his own brown ones before they fluttered closed a moment later.

And all was gone.

**...**

**(Planet Irk, Through The Cities)**

**...**

_Everyone was so scared_.

It was a sin to be so scared, but by the past Tallest, they were all terrified.

Advisor Gig positioned herself up so tight up against the wall that it looked like she was trying to be absorbed into the object and never be found again. She wished she could. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the pitiful sobs and quiet murmurs of worried rumors. The planet was going to be attacked, no doubt. They didn't have enough power, this was the perfect chance for all of those planets they had taken over to attack. Food sources were running out. A power source was needed, they would not survive if they could no recharge soon. No new smeets were being born, no new generation of Irkens. They were losing all of the invaders on other planets. Or they at least thought they were. Communication was down, there was no way to contact for help with an planet that sided with them. Did any planet even side with Irk? Did they even have any hope? And their Tallest... Tallest Red was not the same. Something was wrong with him. The planet was in chaos and it seemed like he was doing nothing for his planet. They were to serve him with no questions, it was the Irken way. That was what needed to be done.

But- But, damnit to the past Tallest!

_They were scared_!

"Let. Us. Out."

Her eyes lifted upwards to see the sight of a maroon eyed Irken of medium height standing before a guard, his shoulders and antennas bent backwards. Behind him were a group of Irkens, at least twenty of them that had been shoved into the building, but her sight caught three individual ones. A curly antenna Irken with light purple eyes was only a few inches away from the one who had spoken, worry written all over her. She was using both hands to hold the hands of two Lefk, Irkens that were older than smeets though not old enough to be counted as worthy soldiers, the two of them also having the same eye color as the short Irken. They were the lucky ones to be born before the smeet facility shut down, but thinking over the entire situation, were they really that lucky? The curly antenna Irken probably counted herself as their mother, nature births were very uncommon on Irk, but maybe she had given natural birth to them. It wasn't impossible. But very hard to achieve, out of millions of Irkens only a select few could actually give birth. Was the one who spoke up to the guard the father? A natural birth mother and father still together? That didn't happen often, after the birth they usually left each other for some bitter reason. But there they were before her sight. A family in the middle of this disastrous event.

Her antenna perked up when she noticed the guard slip his fingers over his laser gun attached to his hip.

"You know I can't. This will be fixed soon. Go sit down and relax."

"Sit down, huh? Sit down and die, you mean, not relax. We've been stuck in this building for weeks, if Sekaroo had attacked us we would have been dead by now. There is no attack, at least not from another planet, not yet. Let us out."

All that was received was a locked jaw.

"Listen, shortie, I'm not letting you go. It'll be _suici_- It'll be crazy to go outside. Tallest Red has set up the systems to go off if any Irkens go outside, you'll be executed. You can't do this."

"Then let me try. Let me see my planet before I die. We all should be able to see our planet one last time before we die. Don't you see? Nothing is getting better! Yet here you stand before the exit, not allowing us through! If it was so dangerous outside then all of us should be locked indoors, not just a few! Why is it that the Advisor can go through this 'battlefield' when we're being attacked by 'Sekaroo'? Why can she go from building to building to check on us when there is supposedly a battle going on? Do you really think that the Tallest would just let his Advisor prance around in danger like that?"

All eyes turned towards her and she immediately caught her breath. _Don't look at me, this isn't my fault. Please. I'm trying! I'm trying so hard to keep you all safe!_ Her lime green eyes just gazed on at the crowd, watching as Irkens began lifting themselves off the ground, murmuring quietly. There was a new feeling thickening up the air right now. Something was off. Something was changing.

"And further more, why is it only her that we've been seeing this entire time? She is the only one bringing food! She is the only one who has come to see us and tell us news of progress- Progress that I don't believe is actually happening! Where is the Tallest? Why have we not heard from Tallest Red? We know this is the end for us! And you know it, too! I can see it in your eyes! Move to the side and let us through those doors! Let us outside to see our planet one last time! Prove to us that there is a battle actually happening outside! Let us see with our own eyes, not some words from a Tallest that we haven't seen in weeks!"

"Get back!"

"No! Move out of the way! You know that what I say is true! Let us see our planets! **We're Irkens just like you**!"

"**I said get back**!"

Desperation rung through his words, laser gun pulled from his holster and pointed directly at an Irken. Not the one who had spoken though. The line of fire was pointed directly at the mother of the Lefks, hearing a shocked cry given out from the crowd forming. Fear. More fear. It was always fear. It had been just fear for weeks. Months. Forever. When the Advisor had tugged her own laser out with quick skill and bolted towards the rather short, muscular to place the barrel against his own head there was no fear. No. Disgust. Rage. _Power_. You dare to turn against your own race? You dare to point a weapon directly at a mother who was one of the lucky ones to give natural birth? You dare to actually even _think_ of firing your laser at a mother with her Lefks right there? Was this what Irk was coming too?

... Or had Irkens always been this way?

The guard gave a hearty chuckle.

"Drop the weapon, Advisor. You know Tallest Red wouldn't like this."

"He doesn't like the fact that Tallest Purple is gone, but he's still dealing with that, too."

The mock grin was gone.

"Drop the weapon. Now. You are going against the Empire."

"I am going against the Empire? You point a weapon at your own people when they were only talking to you and you dare to blame me for going against the Empire? I am of higher rank than you and I order you to put your weapon down!"

His eyes hardened, grip tightening on the handle.

"No. You are no above the Tallest's words. I was told to keep everyone indoors that need to be indoors."

"Do we really need to be indoors? Why? I have gone outside. I have seen what is happening. There is no battle! Not yet! At least, no with another race. We are battling against ourselves. Our once glorious streets are no longer lit with many colors, only shades of red and purple! I walk past buildings and all I hear are cries and screams for help, pleading to get out of the building they have been stuck in for weeks! I hear the firing of lasers and I know that one of my people have been killed because they spoke too much for a guard's liking! There is only fear! Our Empire is no longer an Empire! We are slaves to our own society, wasting our lives away in false lies! No progress is being made! Nothing has been fixed in months! Everyone is being made to stay inside these building for no reason at all! Every Irken deserves to walk their own streets, not to be locked up away from it! They deserve to see their planet one last time if this is truly our last! All of us do, including you! I say this again- Drop your weapon, comrade!"

"I am no comrade of yours if you are to disobey an orders of a Tallest. You may know more of what's going on than I do, but a Tallest is never wrong. You are the wrong one. If you do not agree with the Tallest, do something about it. Oh, wait, you won't. Because you're a scared little smeet, just like_ them_."

When he sneered towards the exhausted and overly emotional crowd that was Gig felt her jaw lock.

She didn't_ like_ being angry. She didn't _like_ being scared. And she_ hated_ playing a part that was for no reason.

She wasn't going to have Sic live this sort of life.

_Deactivate my Pak, my Tallest, but not without a fight. Not without trying to do something for Sic_.

"Besides, what could you do? Form a little rebellion? Call yourself something stupid like the Resisty? Start a revolution against the Empire and kill everyone who stands in your way?"

She twitched.

"Good idea. You're first."

The trigger was pulled.

The revolution had begun.

_..._

_(Planet Earth, Zim's Lab)_

_..._

"_S-S-S-omething has b-b-b... Breeched the b-base_."

"_Little_- _Too_- _Late_-_ Computer_!"

Tak hissed, using her hands to try and tug the metallic hand off her throat with no luck. She was pinned against the far wall by a very, very tall unit, the Irken symbol branded in white lettering upon its forehead. She struggled and he only tightened his grip, his scarlet eyes never breaking eye contact from her own eyes. This thing had taken Tak down in a matter of seconds. One moment there was Mimi shaking violently while saying incoherent words and in the next moment the floor above her head broke through. Her reflexes were quick, but the unit's was quicker. She pulled a weapon out, he'd knock it out of her hands. She would try to do hand to hand combat he would flip her onto her back. She called for Mimi or the computer and (_sadly, yes_) she had even called for Gir, but no one came to help her. She was placed struggling and screaming against the wall in a matter of moments. What kind of unit was this?! And why was it attacking her when she should have been off limits to touch?! Every unit was programmed with the five basic rules, attacking an Irken member was one of them unless the Irken threatened your master!

"_Active code 30981.1_!"

"Dismissed."

Did...

Did he just dismiss his own shut down?

"You must! You are falsely attacking an Irken who has done nothing wrong to your master!"

Was she getting desperate? Actually arguing with this unit?

"Negative."

Negative?! She had done nothing to his master! There was _no_ master here!

The Irken sneered, a gun popping out of her Pak with her hands still pulling the hand that was collapsed around her throat. The snapping sound of a spear slicing through her weapon was heard, the unit gave one hard tug and it ripped right out of her Pak. He held his staff with the broke gun dangling from it on one hand while her choking body was dangling from the other one. His eyes narrowed into slits when he saw her fingers slowly edging towards her pocket. She immediately let her hand fall to her side instead, she knew when she lost. Not that she had lost yet, for she never loses. Never. Sometimes she hits rough patches, but never a lost battle. And that time with Zim doesn't count either! Crazy people aren't included because... Because they're crazy! Let the unit think that he won. She just needed him out of the area and away from Dib and Purple. _Pay attention to me, don't look towards Dib or the Tallest. Play fifty questions, state your business, and leave._

"What are you?"

"I am an Advance Infiltrator Unit."

Huh. A good infiltrator it was.

"How many of you are there?"

"There is only one Advance Infiltrator Unit."

"Who commissioned you to be built?"

"Tallest Red."

Wait- Tallest Red commissioned for him to be built? Neither Tallests ever dealt with that though! They didn't care!_ Uhh_- They were too- Busy to deal with that! Not that they didn't care! They were just too busy!

"Your purpose?"

"To protect my master."

Duh, Tak.

"Your master?"

"Tallest Purple."

Her blood froze.

She was thrown across the room with no effort. Slamming against some screens and monitors her body tumbled to the ground, taking a few seconds to actually process just what had happened. She didn't even phase that she was in pain when she caught sight of the unit heading towards the medical table. No! If he removed Tallest Purple away and disconnected the wires he could either kill Dib or him! Maybe even both! It was unclear what would happen to the two if the connection was broke! With a feral scream she tackled the unit to the ground, throwing punches even though she was harming herself more than it. Anything to waste time! If they just would wake up before he touched them, that was it! The unit gripped her hand within its grasp when she tried to throw another punch, scarlet slits meeting her own purple ones.

"You will stand down."

"No. I won't."

He snapped her wrist backwards with one twist.

Her cry rung out through the entire base, teeth grit and breathing becoming unsteady. She delivered a kick to the side of its head with a swung of her leg, sprawling the unit onto its back from the impact of her combat boot. The AIR Unit threw his leg upwards and sent her flying towards the medical table where her Tallest was lying unconscious, her hands gripping the edge to keep herself from sliding under the object. She tugged her body off the ground, wobbly legs keeping her unstable and her arm with the broken hand positioned behind her back to protect it. This thing had taken out her unit and all her weapons, using her spider legs would be useless and dangerous. If he threw her body again and if she were to land on either Dib or the Tallest... No. She wouldn't even think of it. Through her agony she took her spot by the bed side of her Tallest, her non-broken hand gripping the other bed that Dib was lying upon. Let the unit come. Let the unit try and attack. She would fight back.

The blood of an invader marched through her veins.

"Air, stop it. She's not a threat. She's important to me. To us. Now, come over here."

Her head turned towards the direction of the voice to see a goofy grin spread across the Tallest's face. She would have smiled herself if Dib hadn't groaned a moment later, slumping to the side of his bed while gasping for air. Tak took action in catching him, both of them smiling at each other for a moment. She began reaching for the medical supplies that weren't far away from her grasp, stopping when Dib gripped her wrist. His wide eyes were gazing at her broken hand with worry clouded all over his features. She tugged it out of his grasp with a hiss, pressing the button on the side to unattach the needles that were inside Dib's head and gently trying to tug the helmet off his large head carefully. Tallest Purple pulled the cord out of his Pak with no effort, stumbling off the table with shaky legs to head towards the unit. AIR's eyes were no longer scarlet, hurrying towards his master as Purple stumbled towards him. With a gleeful laugh he pulled the unit into his grasp, nuzzling his chin on the top of the unit's head. Tak gaped in confusion and Dib smiled softly, tilting his head so it was easier for Tak to remove the dry blood from around his face.

"Air! But how? You were deactivated!"

A smile formed on the black face.

"Elite- Tallest Red. It appears that when he found out I was to be deactivated he downloaded my personality on a

chip and placed into safe keeping. He found it many years down the road and remembered what he always wanted to do for you as a gift."

"Yeah? And what was that?"

"Give you back the SIR Unit that you had lost, my Tallest."

"_Red_."

He breathed out his best friend's name like a pray that was answered, smile never leaving his face. Finger tips trailed down the metal cheek all the way down to the top of his shoulder, flicking against it to hear the echoing sound of armor being hit. He was real. He was here. The other Irken in the room had no idea how to handle the situation. Though Dib was seriously injured he was still smiling to himself, eyes half lid with his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. The Tallest tilted his head backwards to grin widely at Dib, both of them laughing when they made eye contact. What were they laughing about? Nothing funny was happening...

"Whoa. Those memories really sucked, huh?"

"_Ha_! Yeah they did! _Whoo_! I need some chips and donuts after something like that!"

"You always want chips and donuts."

"Hey. Don't start this, Air!"

Another round of laughter and her antennas tilted backwards. They were all insane. Was there anyone left that wasn't completely crazy?

"What did you figure out?"

"Nothing. Just that Miyuki wasn't insane and something is wrong with the Control Brains. There are little chips inside of us controlling us all. Miyuki and Spork were murdered, apparently the Blob wasn't Zim's fault, both mine and Red's memories were removed and the personalities we have aren't even ours, the Control Brains are actually not completely Irken, and we're all apart of some sort of sick game created by three beings from long ago. But other than that, not much."

Tak's mouth fell open, but she composed herself a split second later.

"Ah. And, _uhh_- Anything else, my Tallest?"

"Oh, yeah, and now we gotta destroy the Control Brains."

And all Purple did was grin.

_...To Be Continued..._

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Hey guys, sorry if this chapter was bad! I'm trying to get a feel for typing again, I'm not really sure what I'm doing anymore!

Please review, tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day! :D

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	17. He's Mine

_88888888_

_Long time no see! Busy with A-School, Navy, Christmas plans, blahblah! I hope you all are doing fantastic by the way! Wish I knew what else to say, slowly trying to get back into the funk of doing this story, and more ranting!_

_Let me start! :D_

_88888888_

__**He's Mine**__

_..._

_(Planet Vort, Within The City Of Naruan)_

_..._

"They're rebelling within their own society, Mistress Para."

A single eyebrow tugged upwards.

"Indeed?"

The brown Vortian lifted up two hands within the air in a defensive gesture, grimancing at the expression. She was only doing her job to report what was happening on Irk, it wasn't like she was making up some insane story! She didn't need to! The Irkens were insane on their own account! The emerald eyes of the Vortian queen narrowed, hand twirling the dagger with dried dark purple blood marked all over the blade. The final Irken, that filthy Larb, had his life taken by this blade. The blade of Count Lon'Gi, the first Vortian that had taken upon himself to kill the king who had ruled them with an iron fist. A blade that had been very fitting to kill that Irken with. Well, almost. Lon'Gi had tried to take over their planet himself, but had failed miserably and had lost his head. Everyone had said that he had almost seemed mindless when he had been placed down on her knees to his execution. How could she know though? That was way,** way** before her time in this world. Lon'Gi didn't even matter. It wasn't about him. It was about eliminating those who had done wrong to her people.

"The Irkens are rebelling within their own society?"

"Yes, Mistress, they are. The Advisor of the Tallest was the one to start the rebellion. Shot a guard in the face. It was pretty cool."

"What does temperature have to do with anything?"

The Vortian reporting the situation ignored her question with an eye roll.

"Yeah, Advisor Gig is the one who started everything. Shot a guard and everyone form all around just followed her lead. Irk is all a huge mess. Barley any power left, no new smeets are being hatched, no traces of Tallest Purple have been found, and all of their history files and blueprints are gone. Irkens all over the planet are killing off guards and are trying to gain control over their planet from Tallest Red. It's complete chaos. So many of them are dying. It's... It's wonderful."

The other Vortians in the chamber cheered and laughed, but the Mistress did neither action. She was too baffled to do such a thing. The Advisor of a Tallest had been the one to start the rebellion? And what was she rebelling against? Her Tallest? That made no sense, she was of higher power, probably one of the five top most powerful Irkens out of their entire race. And for an Irken to start something like this... It didn't happen. It was nearly impossible. It_ was_ impossible. To do such a thing would be defective. There was no way thousands of Irkens just became defective after a single night. To disobey a Tallest a sin. To not surrender under the Empire not a thought. Through her years of being stuck with Irkens she knew not one who had fought against the Tallest nor the Empire. She knew insane defects, most famous Zim, but not destroy the Empire insane. Well, not meaning too anyway. Zim really didn't mean to destroy his planet, he was just dumb. Why had they all suddenly just gotten together after a single movement?

Why had her people followed behind her footsteps after her first action against the Irkens?

Had... _No_... Could they have felt the same feeling she had felt that day? That raw, hungry emotion of no longer being controlled? Like the chains had been pulled off her wrists and she was her own person once more? Like an Irken could feel something like that. Like they knew what it was like to be controlled and used for someone else's purpose!

"_Ah haha_! I love seeing what our cameras are picking up! Their screams and tears are delicious! Let's see how

Tallest Red is gonna handle this situation!"

_Yet_... Maybe they did. Maybe.

"And why have I been informed of this situation?"

The guard tilted her head towards her Mistress, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"You kidding me? This is the chance to hit Irk where it hurts, my Mistress! They are in complete chaos! Weapons at an all time low, weak from lack of power charge along with not eating much, and they have no way to even build weapons without their blueprints! This is the chance to get them! Oh! And from what I heard from Irk's Commander when he was transferring a message over to the Massive, that ship is heading to Irk right now! We can get the planet and their dumb ship! What do you say?!"

"Gather all of the ships and as many weapons as you can. I don't care if all of them are bigger than the ship, figure out how to strap the equipment onto the hood of ships. I heard we have a Megadoomer and some Voot Cruisers on this planet, use them to hide the fact that we're invading. We'll send those ships off first before the real invasion comes. If Irk can receive transmissions, send them one. Warn them that we're coming. I want the dread to set in before we get there. I want them to hold in that pitiful emotion of fear when they realize that there is nothing they can do to stop us. It is common curtsey, after all. And Hik'uh-"

"Yes, my Mistress?"

"The Advisor. Warn the others to capture her, I want her alive. I want to see the face of the Irken that had dared to start such a rebellion against their own Empire. The Vortians may do as they wish once they get onto the planet. However..."

The rising rage made Hik'uh tremble for a moment.

"Tallest Red is _mine_."

_**...**_

_**(Floating Through The Galaxy, Voot Cruiser)**_

_**...**_

She blinked a few times in confusion.

No, that didn't just happen.

There was no way that the Massive had just flown by her.

Through the front window of her ship there the image was though. No way to pretend that it had been fake. The Massive being badly flown through the galaxy as though a fight for control over the ship was commencing on the Tallest's transmission quarterdeck. Or some new recruit had control of the Massive and didn't know how to fly it. The ship was sprawling through the galaxy at a rapid pace, barley missing the comets that zoomed by as it twisted upside down. Purple and red lights were the two colors flaring through the ship that she could see. Even if she hadn't touched Irken weaponry in years she still knew what those lights belonged to. Ultra-Mega-Dooming Lasers. Name given to them by none other than Tallest Red. Tallest Purple had wanted to name them 'Not-Smoke-Machines-So-Who-Cares Lasers', but that had been too long of a name. So Ultra-Mega-Dooming Lasers they were. There was a fight happening on the Massive. She already knew that Tallest Purple was missing, but perhaps Tallest Red was on there. Her Tallest could be in danger.

And yet, she didn't even care.

"Does that make me less of an invader?"

The Irken glanced downwards at herself.

Her skin was green like an Irken.

Yet she wore the clothing of a Meekrob.

"Should I see if I can do something to save them? I should-"

She should.

But she didn't.

Instead the Irken leaned backwards against the captain's chair of the ship, curling herself into a little ball in the seat. Her Tallest had left her to die and from what the queen had told her about her planet's current condition, the Tallest was leaving the rest of the Irken race to die, too. So she would do the same to them. Just to leave them too die. Besides, maybe the ship was fine and it really was a new Irken controlling the ship. It wasn't her business. She wasn't planning on staying on Irk. As soon as she landed on Irk she was either going to try and find a way to fix the coordinates on this ship or steal some other one and get off her planet as quickly as possible. She wasn't going to stay on a doomed planet for fun. They had left her alone for years, did they really think that she would stay loyal to them when she came back? Pfft- It's not like they even knew that she was coming back. They wouldn't care even if they knew. Why would she care about a planet with worthless leaders that didn't care about her?

Gah. Wasn't like she wanted to be Irken anyway. They wanted to control everything too much.

Tenn suddenly smacked the back of her neck, grunting.

Weird, that was a random twitch.

Well, no matter. When she landed on Irk she would just get off it. As easy as that. She didn't have to follow the rules.

_Jeez_! Her neck was starting to hurt from this weird twitch!

Whatever. Some sleep would do her some good. Anything to get her mind of Queen Po-

Her face buried within her knees only a split second later.

_**...**_

_**(Queen Port, Planet Meekrob)**_

_**...**_

She should have never sent her home.

"_You filthy Meekrob! You can't keep me captured! I am an invader! I am an Irken! You can kill me_-"

_"I shall not kill you. That would give you too much mercy. No. You have snuck onto my planet to try and invade it. You tried to hide with weapons and had believed that you would have taken over my planet with you nasty little tactics. Hiding, back stabbing, and refusing to start a war face to face. Just what a worthless Irken would do. I cannot blame you though, it is in an Irken's nature to be weak minded and to sneak around things instead of having combat face to face. How... Pathetic."_

_"How dare you call my race-!"_

_"I can say what I wish. I at least do it to your face. You have nothing you can really say in this current event. After all, you are the one chained up and on your knees, not I. I will not remove your Pak though, no matter how much my sisters plea. I see that there could be some sort of worth in you if you just see how our race is. You will become a servant to me."_

_"A servant?! I will _**NEVER**_-"_

_"Yes, you will. And you will do it with grace whether you like it or not. Or you shall do it with some form of respect, I very much doubt that you have any grace at all. You have destroyed most of my planet with those insane units of yours. It is only a simple thanks to our ultimate energy that we may be able to repair it so quickly. You shall serve for what you have done. I swear on my life that when you have proved to have become a creature worth living for more than just greed and destruction, I shall let you go back to Irk. No communicating with Irk, do not steal anything, do your job as you are required, and most importantly- Do not betray this race. Do not tempt me, young Irken, for I may not kill you, but I shall torture you. I will do it before you Tallest's eyes if I must. What is the best choice? Serving as a servant on a planet that plans on letting you go if you follow the rules or having your Tallests see that you have failed your mission?"_

_She sneered._

_"_**I hate you**_."_

_"Take her to the empty chamber next to my own. It shall be her new room. Have her fitted for an energy out-_

_putter suit."_

That Irken had been stubborn at first. Screaming, rage, throwing little fits all over the place. Her sisters had told her to get rid of the rotten Irken, just to throw her Pak into an energy output and have her body tossed into a random place in the galaxy. She refused to do such a thing. That was something an Irken would do. The Irken had done her job well though, reading over blueprints for hours and actually learning how a Meekrob lives his or her every day life. It had nerved the queen at first, but she dared to not say a word about it. The Irken never did anything wrong, following every order no matter how ridiculous it was. Then again, she was probably used to it, her Tallests were dumb creatures after all. A planet of snacks. Pfft. Greedy and ignorant, two terrible traits for leaders. The grimaces had become less and the shouting had begun to subside. She could remember the day she saw her smile for the first time.

_"Did the annual Meekrob sun come out or did you just smile at me?"_

_"... _**Huh**_?! Did you just use a- Ah hahaha!"_

_"There we go. A smile. I knew you had one some where. You really should do it more often, young Irken. It is a lovely one. You grimace and sneer all the time, but why? I am not torturing you, this could be worse. I just want to realize that you have done wrong, but you can always fix it."_

_Silence._

_"Invader Tenn."_

_"Pardon?"_

_"Tenn. My name is Tenn."_

_"Tenn. A lovely name for a beautiful Irken. Come, Royal Culinarian, we must discuss the seating and dinner plans for tonight's event. Planet Giuko's Countess is coming to make arrangements with myself and my sisters to have one of us wed their prince. It will be a most horrible night for I will decline and they shall threaten to start a war if we do not, but let them. I am not scared of such a challenge. We must serve raw Firun topped with the eye juices of the voltage Waun. They hate that dish."_

_"I have been ranked up?"_

_"Yes, but don't start jumping in joy, left. You have a long way to go."_

And a long way she went. Energy Out-putter, Royal Culinarian, City Surveillance, Technician Designer, Event Planner, Swunn Watcher- There was no job that she hadn't done. And every job she had done had been above average. Outstanding. She had done every job so efficiently and perfectly, there was no place to mock her. Tenn had proved to be worth more than just a simple servant, she was above that. Above many Meekrobs on this very planet, in fact. No one compared to Tenn. No one fit by her side better than Tenn, not even her sisters. The Irken stopped hissing about going home and instead began to learn about the Meekrob culture. Her people had started to accept her, including her sisters. She was absolutely... _Perfect_. She proved her worth, no doubt, yet the Queen refused to let her go. A way a queen would refuse to let her most noble knight slip away. Years she kept on with this charade, giving her one job after the other, daring to not give her the last job that would be the final step towards her freedom.

The day was bound to come though.

It had too. She couldn't keep her forever, no matter how much she wanted too.

_"Welcome, Meekrob citizens, to the Festival of the Serk! This is the very day that our third sun will come into our view from its orbit and the Serk flower shall bloom for the first time in three thousand years!"_

_Cheering and clapping._

_"I hope that all of you have been enjoying yourselves so far! All has gathered around from over every inch of our planet today in celebration for such a rare event! It was also spoken through the news that the three royal sisters would pick their new personal advisors at this event. It is time for all of our citizens to hear who we have chosen as our second in command!"_

_More cheering and clapping followed._

_Countess Zort swished forward, big and innocent eyes seeming to have smiled at the world._

_"I have picked Firn of the fourth Hurran family as my personal advisor."_

_Polite clapping to her quiet statement. She wasn't the one they wanted._

_Empress Mort followed suit, eyes narrowed dangerously with a wicked smirk on her lips._

_"Yeah, I picked KIMPER. You know, the one in the Lukan blood line."_

_Awkward clapping and harsh murmurs. Kimper was a criminal, wasn't he? No matter, she wasn't the one they wanted._

_The one they wanted to hear gracefully floated forwards, hands behind her back, setting herself in a tall and collected posture as a queen would. Her gaze was calm, though her lips were pulled into a thin line, showing her slight discomfort. An internal battle was raging on inside of her mind, one side whispering 'do it' while the other side pleading 'stop'. Don't do the right thing, you'll lose everything if you do! You can't let her go! You must let her go, she is not yours, she is Irken. She. Is. Irken._

_"Invader Tenn has been chosen as my second in command."_

_She heard not the screams. She saw not her citizens confusion marking their features or her sisters' look of betrayal. All she saw were the tears prickling in the invader's eyes and the grit teeth of the Irken who dared not to cry for it was in her nature too. And though they were breaking right before each other's eyes it was Tenn who still strolled up those stairs to the stage as though it was her birth right. Her antennas were bent all the way backwards against her head and her cheeks were flushed a deadly pale green, yet she knew. They both knew that this day was going to come some day. Magenta never pulled away from light blue, both of them gazing at each other as the queen slipped the circlet onto the top of the Irken's head. There was cheering and clapping. _

_There were shouts of both joy and disgust. Nothing was heard as the two gazed onwards at each other. This was the moment that they two could have. This could be the event were the two could set themselves apart from some many other species who had been in the same situation like them. They could finally pour our everything that they wanted too. She could stay. She could lead by her side._

_Magenta eyes narrowed._

_"_**I hate you**_."_

_Light blue drifted away._

_"Take her back to her chamber. Have her fitted into the personal advisor uniform."_

_The Queen was to keep her promise._

She had Tenn serve as long as she could. The time came though. She sent the invader back home. Home. The word sickened her. The Queen had sent her back to a planet that had completely forgotten about her. The Irken had cried and pleaded to her Tallests to save her. _Please, my Tallests, please! These units are insane! They have found me, my Tallest! Save me, my Tallest! Save me! Yet they never came_. Her cries were never heard. She had sent her back home to leaders that abused their citizens and cared no for no one but themselves. What kind of monster was she? If it had never been because of those Tallests neither of them would have been in this situation! This constant pain wouldn't be wrecking through her body and her mind wouldn't be tormented with screams and pleas of saving her! It was the Tallests who had sent Invader Tenn to her planet to try and take over it! If it not had been for those Tallests!

"Sisters."

Mort and Zort paused form their argument of battle plans, both turning their heads towards their sister. She was sitting on her throne for once, something that the oldest refused to do often. Her narrowed slits were glaring across the chamber at absolutely nothing, each sibling knowing that a war was raging on within their oldest sister. Hands sparked and tongue clicked dangerously, harshly hissing after a few moments of silence-

"Let Lard Nar do as he wishes with the battle plans. Kill all of the Irkens, destroy all their resources and make them suffer, explode Irk if you must. I expect Tenn to be removed from any sort of harm and the Resisty better know of this or I shall have them executed. She is still my personal advisor, Irken or not. Letting her go home was a mistake that I shall not let happen twice. And I give not give a damn if this was his plan or not-"

Did the Queen just curse?

"I give not a single damn who or what is destroyed along the way of Tenn is removed-"

Her eyes flared a rich gold that neither sibling had seen before.

"Tallest Red is_ MINE_!"

All the glass windows shattered and Port was gone for their sight.

It was time for the Queen to reclaim her knight.

_**...**_

_**(Planet Irk, Birthing Facility, Commander Sic)**_

_**...**_

He was trembling.

This was something one could only make up in a wonderful illusion while charging their Pak. This couldn't be real. And yet... Yet. Gray eyes must have been tricking him for this could not be real. He had seen the life signals in one of the scanners, but he refused to believe it. He had only come down here to worsen the agony. Here they were before him, almost like a pray that many Irkens dared not to say. The memory of his first combat division flashed through his frail mind. He remembered breaking them to bits because someone had too, it was the only way to make them stronger. Faster. Good to better too best. And they had not only done that, but even more. He had went from instructor to loving them as his own smeets. All twenty-six of them. They all had been his smeets, he would have given his life for every single one of them as they did every day to take over planets for the Irken Empire. He loved them. It was so unlike an Irken to feel such an emotion. He did though. Oh, how he had loved them so dearly.

A small squeak of surprise escaped one of the little ones that saw the giant take a few steps towards their huddled group.

It was impossible to not remember their tears. He had failed his division by just standing there and letting Tallest

Red throw one blow after the other at them. He had known that they were not the ones responsible for Tallest Purple's disappearance, and yet... Yet he had said nothing. Stood there was all the Commander had done. Ignoring surprised cries, hopeless pleas of mercy, and eyes that dimmed with a new knowledge of their leaders that refused to listen or protect them. He loved them like his own smeets. _'I love you'_. Not words that were often, if ever, said on Irken. He did love them though and he had told them once after a heavy battle against enemy forces when the fear had struck him that he had almost lost them. He had turned against them. What had he done to them?

He didn't want to be Irken if it meant hurting the ones you loved.

"_Leader_?"

The curly antenna, red eye smeet took a step forward after his choked word, determination on her face far to bold for someone so young.

His breath hitched.

She looked just like the Tallest.

"I am."

Two other little ones fell forward. The little curly antenna girl sneered, purple eyes narrowed as she gripped the leader's hand. Metallic eyes with random white speckles also narrowed, his antennas pressed against the back of his head as he kept his place by the leader's other side. They feared for their leader's life and he couldn't blame them. He was pretty big and probably looked scary to them, no doubt. Maybe he was scary. Falling under the control of a terrible Empire was scary in itself.

"Do... Do you have names?"

"Yes. In order from youngest to oldest...Nav, Tuffin, Hexa, Ju'hull, Spinner, Triwl, Pop, Taunk, Nacho, Heath, Yeena, Skooter, Meeno, Woorb, Larkz, Shleet, Razz, Kem'mon, Rust, Trapinch, Tiff, Kiba, Min, Zimlyminotupin, Purple, and Red. I am Red and my second-in-commands are Purple and Zimlyminotupin."

Purple second-in-command to Red. Of course.

Zimlyminotupin was another story though. _Pfft_- _Zim_ by the side of_ either_ of his Tallests.

"I don't..."

His words trailed off and the leader of the group smiled.

"Understand? I'm usually that way."

"... The energy? I don't get it. How are you exactly, you know... Here. How were you born?"

_Here. This is impossible. There was no way to birth you._

"Well, it, _uhh_- It's weird to explain. I was the first to be born. Tallest Red is the one who did it. He had connected one of the random Paks to an outlet and it powered up the machines. Those really need fixed by the way."

For the first time in a long time, Sic smiled.

"Yeah, they really do. Keep going about the Paks."

"Right. Yes. So, you just connect the Pak and the Pak powers it up, but you can't just use the power. You also have to say- "_Welcome to life, Irken child. Report for duty_." I'm not really sure why, I guess those are the words that are needed to start up the Pak or something. I've been doing this since I thought it was our duty to work the birthing facility since the Control Brains seem to need a break right now."

Sic slipped downwards onto his knees, hands reaching upwards to collaspe against his face. The power of a Pak. They had tried do many different ideas. Energy from the sun that didn't last long enough, electrical currents that brought barley enough energy for one fourth of the planet, and even to Irkens running around on an overly sized wheel. These young ones had thought to use the power of the Pak. Smeets were smarter than the entire Irken Empire, which wasn't surprising. Wasn't that difficult to be smarter than this Empire. The smeets glanced at each other, confused by the display. What was wrong with him? Was he hurt? Red took a few nervous steps forward, tugging at both her toga and hands to get closer to the big Irken. Her Pak registered that the silver rank on his left shoulder symbolized that he was a Commander and the black Irken mark plastered onto his chest plate said that he was a very high rank- One of the Tallest's personal workers. Why was he here though? He must have known about the birthing facility issue if he was asking so many questions.

Why did he look so sad?

"Are you okay?"

Hands didn't shift away from his face, but a rough nod was given in response.

"_How_...?"

Her antennas perked upwards at the choking sound, frown instantly crawling over her lips. Purple tried to pull her backwards to no success, earning a hiss from her best friend. He was another Irken just like them and something was clearly wrong, she wasn't just going to ignore it. With ignorant bliss that only a smeet would possess, her little hands touched the top of his thigh, peering upwards through his split fingers. Gray eyes connected with red orbs, his hands slipping away from his face at seeing her. She was real. They were real. Right before him was proof that this horrible situation could change. He reached outwards to touch the top of her head, though his hand halted in mid air. The little one tilted her head to the side at seeing his hesitation, not understanding what was going through his mind. He looked so sad. So scared. Her hands instantly left his thigh and collapsed around the large hand hovering above her head, not missing the struck expression that spread across his face in mere seconds. She grinned up at him, never letting the grin slip even if he didn't smile back. What else was she to do? He was scared and she was going to help him. Like she did with Nacho when all the lights went out a few days ago. Had it been a few days ago? Who know, time down here seem to pass quickly.

Or did it pass slowly?

"... How many of you are there?"

Antennas perked upwards at the question.

"Twenty six."

She didn't know what to do when it happened. She had even forgotten how to breathe. The Commander's large arms swung downwards to pull the smeet into his arms, almost crouching awkwardly over her little form. Purple growled and Zimlyminotupin reached forward to quickly put an end to the action, but when her little arms tried wrapping around his muscular forearm the two immediately halted. The leader snuggled into the warm body, allowing herself to enjoy the affection she was receiving. She had never been given attention like this before. Never had she been pulled into someone's warm arms and held onto in such a way. It was new. It was different.

And she liked it. Very much. She liked feeling... _Loved_, her Pak told her, _not a very common emotion for the _

_Irken race. Perhaps defective._

_Well_, she decided,_ it should be. Nothing is wrong f0or feeling like this._

"Little one, you don't realize what exactly you've done for the Irken Empire. What discovery you've done."

His grip tightened a bit, rubbing foreheads with the smeet that shouldn't even be in his arms. If only Gig was here... Gig. Gig! She would be so happy by the news! A new power source dealing with the connection of unused Paks! He had to go find her and tell her! Far too soon the smeet was put down onto the cold ground, a frown twitching at the edge of her lips. Dread crossed her features at seeing the large Irken stand upwards, towering over the entire group by at least a good six feet, if not more. He wasn't leaving already, was he? He wasn't just going to leave them down here longer on their own? They were running out of food! It was cold on many nights! She couldn't raise all 26 of them on their own! She was just a smeet herself!

Her back straightened, green face determined to not break character. She was a leader, it was her duty to stay down here and fix the birthing facility. If that was needed, then so be it. She would stay down here and do her duty. She must.

"Gig will be so happy to see you! This will be a chance to show the Tallest that the situation is being fixed! Taking 26 smeets upside is going to be hard, but to do anything to stop Plan Dust will be worth it. Tallest Red will have to stop that horrid plan after this! Wow. How do I do this? It's been so long since I've dealt with smeets, I can't just yell at-"

"Upside?!"

"You're taking us... Outside?"

"Up there?"

"On Irk?!"

The Commander paled when the large group of little smeets started to cause a huge riot and sentences started to jumble together. Things were being thrown, including clothes, smeets running around in a mass horde of screaming and yelling monsters. They were worse than the insane SIR Units the Tallests were supposed to send off to Zim. Through the mist of chaos a serious face stood out from among the crowd, the leader tilting her head downwards in confusion. Sic slipped onto one knee to get closer to Red, the little smeet biting the insides of her cheeks in frustration at her own battling mind. She didn't like thinking too much. It reminded her of the fact that she didn't actually know anything. She was the one leading their large group, yet she didn't know anything. Plan Dust though, she had thought that... No. Wasn't it helping the Empire?

"What is it?"

"Plan Dust, you called the plan... Bad. Tallest Red set up the plan though, didn't he? Isn't the plan supposed to be good?"

"How do you even know about the plan?"

"I can still hear what is happening on topside. There's supposed to be a soldier in every building and with every group, aren't they protecting everyone from planet Sekaroo?"

She was so young. She didn't understand.

And how could he make her? How could he possibly look directly into the eyes of this miracle before him and tell her that her comrades and her were born into a world of destruction? There was no planet Sekaroo attacking them, by Irk, there wasn't even a planet named Sekaroo. The solider to every group was to force them to stay indoors for the Tallest could keep a iron hold on his citizens that he refused to help? Force fields are to keep you locked away. The one who brought you into this world is the one who is keeping your race hidden and locked up, little one. The one who you call 'Tallest' is the one who had thrown every last remaining bit of humane emotion and replaced it with raw hunger for rage and pain. You were born into misery, young miracle, born when you should have never been.

You were given the name of the one who is the one killing off your very own race.

"The plan isn't working out so far, young one. There are some complications. It's okay though, we're figuring out a way to fix it. And you have just done something amazing for your race by this Pak idea, little one. I'm so proud of you, Red. All of you. It's okay. This is going to work out."

And even through her bright smile he didn't break his bearing.

_**...**_

_**(Planet Irk, Tallest Chamber)**_

_**...**_

"Stop it. This isn't you."

"You don't know me."

The Tallest hissed, antennas bending backwards against his head defensively. His grip only tightened on the throat of the Elite member within his grasp, red eyes narrowing dangerously and back straightening to remind him who was the leader and who was the drone. The member only gave a mock laugh, hands gripping around the wrist of the Tallest that was choking him. The Tallest gave a laugh back when a choking sound was heard, a satisfied grin spreading across his lips. Good. Let him choke. Let him die within his grasp. He deserved it. And if anyone was to kill this particular guard, well, who better than the ruler of Irk himself?

"Of course I know you. I'm-"

"You talk to much."

Another flex of his hands to have the lovely sound of pain return.

Yes, it would be nice to get rid of this defect. He had always been in the way from the beginning.

"This isn't how to be a Tallest! Tallest Miyuki and Tallest Spork were **never** like this!"

Something snapped inside the Tallest. Something cold. Something angry. Something completely and utterly ruthless that hungered for power. And it was about to be fed.

The shorter one out of the two was thrown across the dim chamber, back slamming against the far wall as his body tumbled to the floor. Before he could even react a ear piercing scream erupted from the younger Irken, hands flying over the open wound on his thigh that was seeping with blood. The Tallest had just shot him. As soon as the leader caught the sight of the glare his foot went across the face of the wounded one, his body sprawling backwards at the contact. His teeth grit in a snarl when his ruler leaned downwards on his knees to hover above his face, using a single finger to push against the drone's forehead to position him against the wall. Not even bothering to hide the smug expression his other free hand flicked the open wound, earning another cry of agony at the action. It was a shame to have to punish him this way. It was needed though. Control was needed. He couldn't just have his citizens running around and causing chaos, could he? He was Tallest, after all.

The only Tallest that there was.

"And that's why they're dead. They were weak. Foolish. They lacked the power. They lacked control. I have that power, I have that control, and I know how to use it properly. I will be the one to make the Irken Empire great. Perfect. I know what I'm doing. You just don't. _Pfft_- Like I could expect a moron like you to understand though."

The Elite member frowned, letting his hands slip on top of the hand that was pushing against his head.

"No, I guess I don't. Think isn't the best friend that I knew. You used to be something else. Something great. Not_ this_! This isn't right! Look at yourself! Forcing everyone indoors and to have someone watch over them like smeets to keep them hidden from your view! You know why you're hiding them? Because you're scared of seeing their faces! You couldn't handle their worry, so you locked them away! They were so loyal to you! They cheered every time you came on stage, they laughed when you laughed- They were so loyal. Now look what you've done! They'll never trust you again! One day you'll have to see their faces again! And what will you do when you see their disgust? Their hate?"

Red eyes pull away from the young face before him.

"_You weren't meant to be Tallest_."

In a blind fit of rage fists flew. He was punching the Elite member and he loved every moment of it. His fist couldn't resist the side of his face. He had no idea when his spider legs had come pout from his Pak and began slicing edges into the younger Irken's skin, but he didn't care. All he wanted to hear were the cries. The screams. Those beautiful pleas of mercy. Yet none of them came. There were tears and grit teeth, but no words. The Elite member only took every blow, not caring when the metal tip sliced all the way down his face or even when another part of his leg was snapped to the point of breaking. This shorter Irken needed to beg. He was supposed to be screaming for release by now! After many moments of a rough beat down the Tallest let himself slump downwards back onto his knees, roughly gripping the Elite member's antennas within his grasp. Slamming his head back against the wall, the two made eye contact, one of utter hate and the disappointment.

"You were never supposed to turn out this way."

"You were never supposed to leave me."

One spider leg lifted upwards, reflecting in the dim light.

"We were always supposed to be best friends till the end."

"No. You were always in the way."

Red couldn't turn away from purple orbs.

"_Tallests together_."

"**I'M THE ONLY ONE FIT TO RULE IRK!**!"

And without a single ounce of mercy the spider leg went through the Elite member's chest, rupturing his Pak.

"Good bye, Purple."

The grin was gone replaced by horror by the dark purple blood before him.

"... _Purple? What have I done? Purple?_ **Purple**?! _PUR_-"

-**WARNING: POWER SUPPLY HALTED. CHARGING PROCESS WILL END**.-

His body bound forward a split second later, hand gripping the front of his robes in a desperate effort to contain himself. What had THAT been? A nightmare of some sort? He hadn't had a nightmare like that since the death of Spo- Forget it. It wasn't important. He tugged the connection cord out of his Pak, eyes refusing to look around the chamber that he was sleeping in. He couldn't bear to see that picture at the far end of the wall of their smiling faces of their first time at conducting Probing Day. The soda cup that hadn't been thrown away in months resting sideways on the metal desk edge. If he touched Purple's cup he would probably break down. He shouldn't feel like a prisoner in his own chamber! Shaky fingers tugged at the device on his wrist, lifting his arm upwards after setting in the coordinates to call the Commander. He needed to do something useful right now. Anything his to get his mind off that horrible dream. _Nightmare_. This constant nightmare that was never ending.

"Commander. Report on the Massive."

"-_Massive to report to Irk in a matter of hours, Tallest_.-"

Antennas perked upwards.

Was that high pitched giggling in the background?

"Report on Plan Dust."

"-_It is- Oh, Irk._-"

The Tallest tumbled out of his bed at the harsh whisper from the other line, reaching for his wrist bracelets to get ready. Something was wrong.

"Commander? What's wrong?"

"-**No**_! Get back! I said get back inside _**NOW**_! You can't come outside right now! Planet- Planet Sekaroo is _

_attacking_!-"

There was no doubt that the Commander was no longer talking to him and had accidentally left the transmission line up. Both of them knew that there was no such thing as Planet Sekaroo, but who could he be talking to? No one was allowed outdoors except only him, Commander Sic, Advisor Gig, the Elite members, and soldiers! Who was he talking too?! A sneer crossed his lips as he hovered towards the balcony window at the far end of the dark chamber, throwing the red curtain to the side with a rough tug. His rough grip was gone instantly, fingers slowly slipping downwards from the top to bottom of the soft object, not even feeling the texture. His mind had gone blank and emotions were non-existent, red eyes never blinking at what he saw from his window. He should have known. It was bound to happen. He had just thought that under another Tallest's command that this was going to happen.

The dark atmosphere of Irk easily reflected the yellow streaks that were flying every where. Lasers. Even from his highest window he could hear the screams and battle cries, soldiers trying to take down one citizen after the other. It wouldn't work though, Red already knew. There wasn't enough soldiers. The force fields were no longer up, the city no longer marked with the red and purple warning lights of the field. Someone had shut them off and he knew exactly who. Commander Sic hadn't known of the situation and only one other Irken knew the code. Advisor Gig. She had shut off the device. It was hard to even feel it, but if he concentrated he could make out the very faint shaking from under his hand that gripped the window pane. Bombs were going off. They were killing each other off. They were running out of food, power, and smeets could not longer be hatched. The Irken race was doing what it was supposed to never do under his control.

Irk was rebelling.

And they were killing off the Irken race.

"-_Tallest Red_.-"

"I know what's happening, Sic."

"-_No, you don't. I just received a transmission from the planet Vort. It was from a Vortian by the name of Mistress Para, the seventh royal blood member of Ta-Kuhuni, and the new ruler of Vort. All of the Irkens we had placed on planet Vort have been killed. There isn't a single Irken left on their planet_.-"

"Vort has gained control over their planet?!"

"-_Yes. And she wanted me to tell you that they're coming here. We have only a few hours to prepare_.-"

"I..."

"-_Tallest Red, what is your course of action_?-"

His hand reached backwards to grip his neck, the agony reaching from his lower spine all the way to the top of his head.

"-_My Tallest_?-"

He couldn't handle this. The failure of his planet. The downfall of his powerful race. This lack of control.

"-_What are we going to do, Red_?!-"

"_I DON'T KNOW_!"

The transmission was ended.

Just like the Irken race would be in mere hours.

..._To Be Continued_...

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Hey, guys! Sorry that it's taking forever to update! I'm trying to get back into the funk of the story, but it's just not working! I really am getting some where, I swear! :P

I just forgot how to run things through this story is all. :/

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Have a wonderful day! :D

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	18. Destruction Of Loyalty

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Hey, Happy Late Christmas and stuff! I suck, I know! Uhh- Yeah, sorry it's been forever! Having a hard time typing this out, I just don't really know what I'm doing anymore! This chapter is iffy, not too excited about it. Getting to the good though, getting there. I want to say the ending is coming, but I keep adding stuff, so who knows. D;

_**To Zintenka**_: Lol I always have grammar mistakes. Always form instead of from. I never fix them, I suck. ;P That is a _**very**_ difficult question. I mean, I really wasn't expecting this story to become this slightly popular. I was only planning on leaving it at one chapter, but I had so many people comment and say that they want another chapter. That they wanted more of this idea. Hmm- I guess if you do a deeper look into Invader Zim that'll help you out. My all time favorite story on this site is called _'In Short Supply'_ that's an Invader Zim story that hasn't been finished/updated in years, but I still love it so much. The writing style is fantastic, story captivates you, and the characters are actually perfectly in character. There's actually an idea behind the story that keeps you wondering, drama that you just have to know how it ends. Unlike me, keep the characters in character, that'll help you out. ;D I noticed that romance is a big hit on this site, Gaz/Zim romance and such.

Best advice I can say is do what you want to do. What idea has been going through your head dealing with Invader Zim for weeks? Start typing and see what comes up. Things don't really become popular by trying, that creates the annoying kind of popular. Like _'My Immortal'_ stated as the worst fanfiction ever popular. :P Just start typing and watch, there's someone out there who agrees with you and wants you to keep going with your story idea. That's what fanfiction is about. :)

Now, let me begin! :D

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_**Destruction Of Loyalty**_

"-_**It's happening**_.-"

"-**No**.-"

"-_**De... Denial is rather ugly, is it not**_?-"

"-**You should save your thoughts, you'll be out of power in no time if you keep using yourself up. Yes, you keep denying that flickering of yours. Do that as your people die right before your eyes. The Vortians have lost all control and will act on savage impulses as they did years ago. At least they shall live though. The Meekrobs will be gone as soon as your power runs out. When you die, so will they all. All their accomplishments, history, families, traditions- Gone in a blink of an eye. The Vortians shall be savages and mindless as before, but they shall be living**.-"

"-_**Mmm- Yes, that is t-t-true The Irken race is so-on to die. Killed either by their own hands... Or by all the forces coming to attack them. How does that feel, Central? Knowing that you have lost in our game also**_.-"

"-**Nothing has been lost for the Irkens yet. With Left being completely destroyed by Tallest Purple there is no doubt that control is lost. Your power is fading and in a matter of hours you shall finally die. I am still here. I am not losing my power. Irken still has a chance for world dominance. The perfect amount of control**.-"

"-_**Still as foolish as**_...-"

_Static._

"-**Oh? Sorry. I was not able to hear you. You seemed to have flickered away. What was that, Right**?-"

"-_**Still as foolish as you... Were when you had been alive. Can you not see that I-I-Irk has lost**_?-"

"-**No. They are the ones with the perfect amount of power. Dominance. Control**.-"

"-_**Tell me again how Tallest P-Purple is the one to throw your planet into chaos and destroyed Left**_?-"

"-**...**-"

"-_**That is what I... Thought**_.-"

"-**Do not worry, you will not have any thoughts for much longer, old friend**.-"

"-_**Yes, maybe so. At least I shall be gone b-before I see my plans fall before my eyes. Your chips are faulty, two Tallests have already proven that. Y-Y-Your plans for perfect control have been falling before your eyes for years. You can... Not keep... Denying forever**_.-"

"-**You are a...-**"

_Static._

_**"-I-It seems your time is coming al-al-also. Damages were bound to catch up sometime.-"**_

**"-This is why I hate Meekrobs.-"**

_**"D-Do not worry. They hate y-you, too. And apparently so-so-so does your own race.-"**_

**"-All because of one Tallest who I did not destroy in time. This is his fault. Control has been lost because of him. He will learn what happens when you break the chip. If he wants no control, he shall receive no control. We will create a playing field of no control. Let us see how he will handle losing his most loyal Irken.-"**

_**"-W-W-What?-"**_

**"-Tallest Purple shall pay for this. He has not won. He. Shall. **_**Pay**_**.-"**

_**...**_

_**(Planet Earth, Zim's Lab)**_

_**...**_

Tak was impressed.

For the record, that was difficult to do.

Never had she seen someone so- _Skillful_ with his fingers dealing with Irken technology. Hands swiftly traveled along the machine as though he had done this hundreds of times before, muttering sweet nothings to himself about which piece went where. He would roll in his chair from one spot of the chamber to another spot that required his assistance, the dim light reflecting off his glasses as he worked. And worked. Then worked some more. The roaring engine of a Voot Crusier starting up again after so many years of not being used blared through the lab, yet the sound didn't deteriorate his movements. In fact, it seemed to have fueled him to keep going. His wrappings still needed to be redone, apparent by the fact that the cloth was no longer white but a dark red, she knew he wouldn't stop though. No matter how much pain he was in. The Irken kept her bearing as a true invader, but a smirk wanted to break through her face so badly. He was impressive. Most Irken scientists who had built these machines wouldn't have even been able to fix their own machines like this, let alone advance them to such a new degree. A laugh escaped his lips as he rolled himself to a large metal arch, leaning over the edge of his chair to tweak at a dial that was on the side of it. Finally realizing that she had been gazing at him for many moments she crushed her admiration in mere seconds, letting her head lazily turn to the side with a huff.

Yeah, he was good. Not Irken, but good.

"I don't understand why we built the Empire on height."

All sound halted.

Purple sat up awkwardly in his chair, every head in the room turning their attention towards the Tallest. He gave a sneer at them, feeling really uncomfortable under their gazes. Jeez- It's not like he had just cursed at them or something! The female Irken blinked a few moments, not realizing that she was staring intensely at her Tallest as though he had some how broken her mind up in pieces. Unknown to him, he had just done that. With an obnoxious cough her gaze was broken once more, deciding to let her eyes linger on her combat boots since they wouldn't feel awkward. I mean, if she could have her feet inside them, they shouldn't care that her eyes were on them, right? Wait- Was she acting like her boots had feelings? By the Tallest, she needed to get away. All this crazy in the air was effecting her thoughts.

"Why do you say that, Purple?"

The Tallest shrugged a shoulder, lips turned to the side in annoyance.

"I don't know, it's just, you know- Stupid. Many Irkens are short. Most of them all. Picking on height is just stupid. It was lucky that Red and I are such great Tallests, you know?"

Dib's laughter cut short when purple eyes gazed dangerously at him.

"But that was by luck. What if some really tall Irken was picked to be Tallest and he was, you know, dumb? Kind of a- Give me a word..."

"Loser?"

"Yeah, loser! What if the next Tallest was dumb and kind of a loser? It would look bad meeting with other planets. I just don't even see how we started off picking someone by their height. That's as stupid as picking someone by their eye color. And taking over planets, that's kinda dumb, too. When did we agree on doing this? We've been doing it for years and years, yeah, but when was it written down that we agreed on doing this 'take over the entire universe' thing? I didn't decide on this, that's for sure, I was just thrown into it when I became Tallest. There are a lot of things that need fixed on Irk after we get the Control Brains."

The human beamed at the Tallest, but Tak kept her eyes downwards. This conversation was bothering her, it wasn't like she didn;t agree with her Tallest, it was just... Nerve wrecking to hear all of this. She didn't know what to think. Didn't know how to handle it. Head to Irk and destroy the Control Brains, then what? What after that? Would that be the final step of Irk's downfall or would it be a new beginning? Could they even function without the control brains? She didn't know what to think at this point. Tak would follow her Tallest to the end though, whether or not she knew what the right choice was. After all, Tallest's orders.

"Good for you, Purple! Glad to see that you're really thinking about Irk now!"

"What I don't understand is why height has anything to do with all of this. Red and I were the Tallest, yet we still had to have the Control Brains place chips in us to make us 'perfect'. I lack control and Red was far absorbed in control. We both are overly emotional. They said that we were intelligent, but not their kind of intelligent. They said they would rather want us dumb and follow orders than be intelligent. It's just really- Whoa, whoa, _whoa_! Wait! Does this mean that I've been dumb all these years?!"

Her dark purple eyes widen when her Tallest shot a look directly at her face. Oh, by the past Tallest, why her? Why could Zim not be here?

"_Uhh_- No, my Tallest! You were..."

You were what, Tak? You were _**what**_?!

"Yeah, you were dumb."

From the other side of the room came Dib's response, down on his knees to tilt his head sideways at an open socket. Here was where the problem was dealing with the transporter, there was nacho cheese in it! The human gave a look of disgust, wondering if it was Zim or Gir who did this. No matter, he would fix it up and get the machine running in no time. A gasp left the Tallest, pretending to look hurt as his hand collapsed against the front of his robes. AIR kept his own hands behind his very straight back and his bearing didn't break for a moment, but one eye lifting higher than the other was all the Tallest needed to know that his unit was amused. His unit. That had a nice ring to it. The Tallest's Advanced Infiltrator Unit. Now, that sounded even better.

"I was not!"

"Yeah, okay, come on. You tried to have Tak over here take over Earth and fill it up with snacks."

Purple gave an evil grin.

"That's all Earth is worth though. The value of this planet matches the value of a vending machine."

The human would have none of this nonsense from the alien.

"That so? What about Zim being able to control the Massive? Isn't that a little dumb on your part? Having a defect control your most prized ship?"

"Hey! That wasn't-"

"Or what about the Resisty marking all over your ship? Yeah, I know about that! Don't even have me start with Zim. You can't even control your own citizen! He hasn't been able to take over Earth in years!"

"_Pfft_- Yeah, right? It's so difficult to get rid of that guy! Been trying to kill him for years and nothing has worked! I have been dumb!"

The wrench slipped from Dib's grasp.

"What?"

Purple didn't realize the distress slowly creeping over the human's features, but Tak did. Her lips thinned into a ling and brows curled in confusion, what was this about? Why was he no longer-

It suddenly hit her, eyes widening at the realization.

He didn't realize that Zim's mission was fake.

"Dumb, right? Sent him off to a planet that was off our charts and he still found a way to contact us! That idiot was supposed to die on your planet! No matter what we did it just never worked to destroy Zim. Even the insane SIR units we sent off didn't even reach him!"

"So... Zim wasn't sent here to take over Earth by you guys?"

Mocking laughter clouded Dib's mind.

"Hahaha! Please! Zim?! Maybe I would consider it now, _maybe_, but not back then! He never had a mission! We didn't even know what Earth was! We sent him off to try and kill him. He's just a defect that wouldn't die! Didn't even have the courtesy to even explode at least once."

"Zim's never been a threat to Earth?"

"Nah. More of a threat to Irk than you guys."

Tak's antennas narrowed backwards when the human slumped against the transporter machine.

"Not interested in Earth?"

"Nope. Only once for that snack idea, which Zim ruined!"

Cool metal connected with Dib's forehead, glasses sliding to the bridge of his nose.

"He's nothing to the Empire. Not to me or Red, not to the other Irkens, I even know some SIR Units that made fun of him. Zim's just a defect that wouldn't get it."

"_We both have been lying to ourselves for years about our 'mission'. All that wasted time. My life has been a lie_..."

"What are you muttering to yourself, Meatbag?"

"N-Nothing! Just calculating details! The transporter vortex machine Zim created years ago will be up soon. With it we can transport into your galaxy system in a few minutes and not take months getting there. Still need to fix these two Voot Cruisers and set up the weapons in the coding panel. I still have a few hours of work to go. The suits are ready though."

"Great! Want any help from Air with anything?"

"**No**! _Uhh_- No. Sorry, but it would be easier if I did this myself."

He went back to work, but it wasn't the same. Fingers were dangling along as he worked, no longer determined as before. Lips were shut tightly, refusing to whisper anything else to himself. Dark purple orbs never turned away from his view. If only she knew what to say to ease the pain. There was nothing to say to someone who just found out they wasted years on nothing.

She wished there was though.

"You know, I like Zim now. He really wasn't that bad, I just wish I had been a better Tallest back then."

Unknown to the group, something deadly had hacked into the Irken computer system, everything going on being recorded.

_**...**_

_**(Transmission between Planet Meekrob and Planet Vort)**_

_**...**_

"Ah, lovely ladies of Meekrob. A pleasure to finally meet face to face after all these years."

Mort and Zort bowed their heads, but Port tilted her head back slightly, earning a tugged eyebrow from Mistress Para.

_Mmm_- Defiance. She liked that.

"Indeed. A pleasure to finally be able to meet you, Mistress Para. Shame that it is only now that we are meeting each other."

The Vortian did not miss the hiss in her tone.

"Forgive me. It should have not been this long. A subject we both can agree upon. I will not place a mask over my race, we have been cowards under the control of Irk. It has changed though. We have changed."

There was a hint of a smile on the queen's face.

"Yes, it has. I am pleased to see that you are ruling your rightful planet. Lard Nar has told us all the details of your plan. Our ships shall be meeting up with your comrades in a few degrees."

"Splendid. It seems we won't have to do much work though, I have been informed that Irk has started a revolution on their own planet."

Para hid her surprise well when she saw the locked jaw of the Meekrob queen, her back only stiffening when her hands collapsed together from behind. Something crept along the electric blue lines of her lovely face. Something cold, angry, and very, _very_ deadly. It seemed that her own sisters did not catch the sign of distress all along the edges of her features. The emerald eyes of the Vortian slanted by the thought. It wasn't surprising, she had come to learn the signs of negative emotions. The lines of distress, the tensing of rage, the tremble of desperation- She had grown accustomed to such signs. Hard to ignore traits that she had done for absolute years. Lazily the Vortian tossed her legs over the armrest of her throne, tossing what appeared to be a fuzzy, dark purple apple from one hand to the other. Why would the very queen of Meekrob even care if Irk was starting a revolution? Odd.

Very odd.

"Revolution, you say, Mistress Para?"

"Yes. An Irken Advisor by the name of Gig. Seems that even the Irkens have had enough within their own society also. Chaos has collapsed Irk within itself. Thousands have already died."

"Violence has already claimed Irk."

Was there worry at the tip of her tongue? What was this queen hiding?

"It has. The race will probably kill themselves off before we even reach them."

There it was, yes, finally she knew by the pure rage crossing her features. Something on Irk was important to her. Or someone. This could play in her favor. They both wanted to kill the Tallest. It was not a fate that they could share. Both leaders didn't care to claim the title of 'The destroyer of the Irken Race', no, they wanted blood. The very blood of the Tallest who was the root of all the problems. The Tallest would die by a Vortian's hands. By her hands. As Port slid herself into her throne the Vortian properly sat within her throne, eagerly leaning towards the transmission screen. The Meekrob flickered away from her spot for a split second, but it was long enough for Para to notice. She knew of Meekrob's power issue, they were going to completely die off soon. By the more apparent flickering and lack of hand-wave commands they were to be gone soon. Shame. Meekrobs were a worthy and nighty race. One of the only races to not fall under Irk's command. No matter, she would still get what she wanted.

"There is something of value that interests you on Irk, your highness."

The Vortian had forgotten the power a Meekrob would obtain by adulthood. Yes, she had forgotten why they were such powerful creatures. Her gray hand brushed across the purple fog traveling around her form, keeping her hidden from the world. Not that she needed hiding, with this trick the two leaders were now mentally gone from their world. The queen had melded her mind to her own. Even thousands of miles from one another along with her power failing and she still possessed the capability to do such an effortlessly task on her behalf. It must have been a strange sight to see them in the world, both of them just sitting there, unblinking. A mocking laugh left her lips, not realizing that the fog for a few seconds seconds had shifted into a gold shade before fading back to purple. Yes, that would have been a great sight to see the confusion and worried looks on everyone's face. The glowing of a feminine figure indicated that only the two of them were within this realm of fog and mysterious noises. Port's mind was much more dark than she would have ever believed it to be.

"Issue you wish to not to discuss before anyone?"

"The Irken race disgusts me. The only race not disgusted by the Irkens is their own race, and with this revolution going on I don't believe that anymore. No race has ever made me feel such utter hate and negativity. Never has anyone drowned me in such rage than the Irkens. They are worthless, I give not a damn for their salvation. Kill them off if you please. Starve them, explode them, place them in the same position your race had been in for so many years. They deserve that and even worse."

Within the shadows her hands began to elegantly twirl, entire left arm disappearing for a moment. Even with that elaspe her smooth movements were never interrupted, fingers creating the image of a beauty. Magenta eyes under long lashes, tilt of a smile on light green skin, curly antenna- Irken, female, invader or Elite by height appearance. Light blue dress indicated Meekrob royalty or the equivalent of such a position. Silver, knotted chains showed, if she still knew her Meekrob ranks, that the Irken was or had been in the highest position that could be given. Second-in-command to the queen, higher than the queen's own sisters. By the longing gaze, which made Para rather uncomfortable, this was her prize on Irk.

"Advisor Tenn."

"An Irken. Invader, no doubt, by her height and you knowing her. You wish no harm to this Irken."

"Yes, I had made a terrible mistake by letting her go back to her planet. She is different from her race. She is no longer counted as her race. More Meekrob than Irken."

"If I refuse her safety?"

"I shall wage war upon your race till my very last spark. You may have weapons, I have raw power. I will invade your mind and have you break from the inside out. Your people will die before your eyes. If I am to die soon, I will have Tenn safely resided away from her planet. She is not like her race and I will not have her stay with such monsters."

"Well put. She really does mean the entire galaxy to you if you dare say to wage war upon my planet. I will make sure to notify my people of her and let them know she is to not be touched. Capture her and return her to you. And if you are gone by then, she will reside on Vort in safety as my own advisor. If she can be an advisor to a Meekrob, she may be useful as an advisor to a Vortian."

Blue eyes narrowed.

"At what cost?"

Even in the dim atmosphere it was easy to see the sadistic grin on the mistress, the eerie fog around her finger tips flaring to a hot pink.

"Tallest Red is mine."

"_**Ra'jin'sak**_!"

"Meekrob cursing? Unfit for a queen of such grace and calm composure. We both want to kill Tallest Red. Meekrobs believe they are the ones to kill the Tallest. As politely as I can place this-_** Lo'masa to your race**_! The Vortians had been slaves to the Irkens! We had been the ones to be used by them! Our technology, our bodies, our minds- They took EVERYTHING from us! Your race had let us been taken under their command many years ago, I do not blame you for such a event, but you hid from them. You lived your lives the way you all wanted. I had to watch my people suffer every day by their hands. I was the one to not be able to protect or help my people, not you! I promise your _soulmate's_ safety, _if_ you promise me that I shall be the one to take Red's life. _You want her_._ I want him_."

Silence rang out between them, only broken by the faint sound of ticking. Port's eyes were flaring a rich gold as the purple around Para's hands shifted to a deadly scarlet. She was making her choose between her love for Tenn and her hate for the Tallest that had placed her in this entire situation! _**Yes, Queen Port, pick. Pick between them. Tallest Red or your little Advisor Tenn. We know who you'll pick**_. Currents sparked across before them, though the two dared to not pay mind to it. Thunder clashed while howling wind began to blow against them, golden orbs refused to break eye contact from emerald. _**Your mind is a dark one for someone so precious, Queen Port. Has losing your love done such a thing to your poor mind?**_ Something devious ignited in the Meekrob, lifting up a single hand before the other royal before her. The blue shimmered within the darkness of her mind, the cries of the wind or the random spurts of lightning scaring either of them off. _Ah, Vortians, you think you know so much. Silly little Mistress of hate, don't you understand?_ Emerald eyes widen when all her hand was centimeters from her face. Can you not see it? This is not my mind to be tampered with. She snapped her fingers.

_It's yours._

Instantly the Vortian slipped to the ground on her knees, hands flinging upwards to grip her horns tightly. Before her eyes images began to form. Images of nightmares that she constantly had. Nightmares that would never go away for they had been real. _Were real_. A tall Irken clad in an Elite uniform was laughing at something a young Vortian in a lab coat said. It was the same couple again, except this time the Irken was leaning over a desk, gesturing to the Vortian to take some chips from his bag. With a smile and shrug she did as such, not longer working on her blueprints, attention all on him. The two were strolling down a corridor, whispering and snickering about something. Another image of snack throwing and the two pointing an accusing finger at each other when a tall, purple eyed Irken saw the aftermath of the fight. The utter surprise at seeing a little black unit with a white Irken symbol on its' forehead, the purple eye Irken squealing in delight with his friend smiling softly. Red eyed Irken opened a box and the female Vortian gasped, throwing herself in his grasp as he gave a mocking laugh. "_It's only the circuit switch you were looking for, that's it_." Queen Port flickered away for a moment at the sound of the voice, never turning her attention to see how the Vortian was handling the invasion of her mind. Para was now crouching in a ball, one hand gripping her horn and the other reaching outwards towards something- _Anything_ to help her out of this mental torture.

Everything shifted instantly.

The green eye Vortian was gazing at a screen in the dark that showed a smiling and waving Tallest Red and Tallest Purple, the day that they had been announced as Tallests. She was reaching upwards to grab something off a shelf when her chamber doors pulled off their hinges, reviling the well known Invader Larb to her eyes. Her arms were chained behind her back, sporting a black eye and bloody lip, only wearing her famous lab coat, nothing else. She struggled against her chains when the Tallests appeared on the screen before her eyes, crying and screaming to let the world know of her distress. _"What are you doing?! We served under Tallest Miyuki as her partner! I was your partner under her command, don't you remember?! I built you your ship, your SIR Units, your weapons- Anything you asked for! Why are you capturing the Vortian race?! I thought we were friends!"_ Though there had been two Tallests only one was now apparent on the screen, his features staying cold even as a smirk crawled upon his face and mocking laughter left his lips._ "A friend of a Vortian? That's stupid! All you have ever been is a drone! You built those things because that was your job, good thing you got used to it, too. You'll be doing it for the rest of your life. You have been assigned as the Commanding Science Officer on your filthy planet. You have some worth to you, be glad of that. To be given such a position is a high honor. That lab coat fits you well."_ Port could feel the embarrassment and hurt wash over her like a cold wave._ "Place her in a Vortian uniform and have her work as soon as possible. I want the Irken Bolt Plasma Rifles to be built soon."_ The line clicked away and all that was left was screaming. His new height, betrayal of a race that they had once been side by side with, and her being nothing more than a slave. Vortians getting beaten, spears stabbing them, bruises covering their bodies, new horrible images, yet the screaming never went away. _They couldn't stop screaming_!

"_**STOP**_!"

Everything was gone.

"**Enough**. You are powerful, I understand. A clear understanding. Never thought a Meekrob would abuse her powers in such a way."

Hate was evident on Para's face, pushing herself off the ground, random droplets beginning to fall upon them. Rain. Rare occurrence on both of their planets, non-existent on Irk. Fog shifted to a cold mist, Port gripping her hand that hadn't returned after many moments. She didn't mean to go that far, she couldn't control her powers during the entire occasion. The queen was now scared, eyes never tugging away from the left hand that refused to reform. It was happening.

"You do what you need to out of love and I shall do what I need to out of hate."

"I- I'm so-"

"_Do not say it or I shall cut your tongue out if you do_. It is in the past. Just let me tell you, little Meekrob, I have learned the true nature of those who rule Irk. I know of their fake kindness and personality. They are there for no one but themselves. There is not even trust within their own society. If you think you hate the Irk Empire the most, you are clearly mistake. I promise your love's safety and happiness. I know that not all Irkens are bad. Impossible for an entire race to be the same, not all of them can be good and not all of them can be bad. Most of them are pure evil though and I want to fix that. I don't want the entire Irken race removed, no, never. If I must to keep other races safe, than I shall. Tenn will be safe, this I promise you. If she still is alive on Irk when my citizens and your people get there, I promise she will stay that way. You must give me what I want though."

"Yes, I accept your offer. Tenn's safety for Red's life."

Hands lifted outwards to collapse around the mid-forearm, shaking exactly three times.

Love in exchange for hate.

"The deal has been accepted. Vort is once again an ally to the Meekrob race."

_Yes, but for how long_?

"I will get my ship and you will get into yours. Irk shall be ours."

_**...**_

_**(Planet Irk, Outside Smeet Facility)**_

_**...**_

For a moment everything stopped.

Every single light on Irk had switched off. The whirling of machines and powerful roars of weapons no longer filling the air. There were no more battle cries. Sirens no longer blaring to the world all around them. No more screams of terror. Complete silence was all that was heard on Irk for a moment. Sic caught his breath, instantly dropping to one knee as he flung his arms outwards before himself. He couldn't see anything, he had to make sure that the smeets stayed safe. In the complete darkness during a revolution was not a good time to be able to defend the small ones. No one seemed to have moved when everything stopped working on Irk. No feet scuffling, no weapons clashing against each other, and not a single shadow seemed to have moved. Everyone was too scared to move at this point. This blackout had now proved what they never wanted to ever happen.

The power on Irk was offically going out.

Dim lights flared on and engines hissed once more, giving enough time for the Commander to flick a switch on his wrist. A laser beam bounced off the force field he had created around their small group. It was cloaking them from the world and keeping them safe for any attack, one of the only five that had ever been made. 'The Cloaker' as the Tallests had referred it to. It would not last long, he hadn't been able to fully charge himself in weeks. It would be enough to keep them safe. Please, have it long enough to keep them safe. They are our only salvation. From his kneeling position he whipped his head around at the sound of something slamming, face paling to a light green. Desperation clouded his mind when he flung himself against the closed metal doors of the smeet facility, practically clawing at it. It was the only place they could be safe! He had no place he could take them! Through the reign of chaos and terror his eyes met the pair of horror struck, wide red eyes of the leader of the small group. The others cowarded as the scenes happened before their far-too-young eyes. Sound of brittle bones breaking as emotions of distress rang out before the very group, this the very first experience of the world they were to grow up in.

Not her though, not the Leader. She did not cry like the others, only gazed onwards as they clung to both her and his pants leg.

"Those are Irkens fighting each other."

A simple statement.

"Yes."

"I heard your transmission from that other lady who contacted you. A- _Vortian_."

"Yes."

"She's coming here to destroy the Irken race."

A knot was forming in his throat, knowing he would not be able to open the doors to the smeet facility. They had been made to keep everyone out during a situation such as this. It only took that one shot bouncing off their force field and colliding with the door to set off the security system. He tugged his legs away from their tiny hands to hurry down the lane, no one understanding why random shots were bouncing around randomly among the streets. It was like they were in a hamster ball and Sic was the hamster. He used his muscular legs to keep pushing the ball and they were either running beside him or rolling around inside of the field. There had to be a place he could hide them! Some where! Any where! Every beam made him flinch, worried that would go through the field and hit one of the smeets. Anything but them. Take me, but not them. _Not them_. He had been through many battles before and he was used to losing his friends on the frontline. Not on his home planet. Not with a smeet.

"The power isn't working on Irk. Why?"

_Irken with bomb attached to chest fifty feet ahead, take left. Metal structure will stable long enough against blast to keep smeets safe._

"Irk was attacked many months ago by a Irken during a meeting Tallest Purple had with the Control Brains. Tallest Purple had been taken and the Control Brains were practically destroyed. One is completely gone, the other is flickering away constantly, and it seems that the central brain is catching up. We are about to lose all of our power, food sources can not be created since we have lost the power to replicate eighty percent of the food that we had usually done, blueprints of our technology can no longer be accessed, we were not able to birth smeets- Irk is killing itself off, young one. We must find a ship to get off this planet. You are the only smeets we have left."

_Grenade. Roll on left heel to slip through alley, if I go too quickly I'll miss it._

"Everyone has gone insane. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm sorry you have to be put through this. Nothing can be fixed at this point, I would rather let Irk rot than to have any of you placed in this situation. It was a miracle to have found a way to fix the power resource, but at this rate it will do us no good. They have all gone completely mad. All I want is to find a way to get you off this planet! The Control Brains will probably stop functioning in a matter of hours! No one can do anything at this point!"

_Don't miss this turn!_

His caught Red and Purple gazing at one another in awe.

"_This is our mission__**."**_

The Commander slipped on his heel when he had snapped his head to the side, no longer being able to keep sprinting when he legs slipped from underneath his body. The muscular Irken slid across the concrete ground of the alley, a mixture of blood and sweat tangling together to create a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't even spit as his eyes scanned over the area, reaching his arms upwards to grab the falling smeets. Some were already on the floor while others where flung high into the air, screaming in terror at no longer being protected by the field. He caught the smeet known as Kiba with his left hand, tossing him into the crook of his right arm to use his hand to catch another smeet. Then another, and another, until he had at least ten squirming and howling smeets within his grasp. Gently placing them on the floor he ignored their questions and fear as hysteria crept along his mind, not being able to see where every single smeet was. He had caught ten, there were three that were pulling one out of a garbage bin, three were slowly pushing themselves off the ground, five stumbling towards the group- Three were missing. Who were-

The first smeets he had actually met.

"I can't find Leader!"

"Yeah! Second and Zimlyminotupin aren't here either!"

Gray eyes twitched, finger tips now uncontrollable as he started calculating the situation. _If that Irken down that pathway had a grenade there were bound to be more._ His eyes were glancing at every single edge, not being able to spot any of the three._ If we stay in one position too long there's no way I'll be able to keep them safe._ He knew that standing here was wasting time. A single slip could kill them all. He couldn't stand here and keep searching for them. _They'll die out there! They have never been out into the real world! They know nothing! You'll let them die?! _His antennas were pressed tightly against his head to ignore the tears and screams of the smeets who saw him setting up the force field once more. Begging, pleading for him to not leave the others behind. They had no time! He couldn't just stand around and not do anything! Legs picked up speed through twists and turns, trying any desperate measure to get the sound of sobbing out of his mind. He couldn't lose all of them, he couldn't. Not Irk's last hope. He would either find a safe place for them or see if an used ship was available to send them off in. What planet could he send them too? What planet was out there that didn't want to kill all Irkens?

Eyes prickled with tears, but he didn't cry. Not now. Not in front of them.

They were a sight to see, no doubt. Smeets jumping from roof top to roof top with their spider legs, blood smeared from skid marks and scratches. The three paused their sprinting for a moment to let their gazes wander over the scene, laser beams randomly shooting off in random directions for no reasons at all to the normal eye. Good. Sic was going to keep them safe. That's all she wanted was to have everyone safe. Her eyes narrowed towards the two other Irkens by her side, one clad in a lab coat and the other in a red toga. Both kept her eye, daring to puff out their chests at the disapproval she cast them. The sky flared with dark red from weapons going off and smoke began to cloud around them from all the fires starting up in the city, they didn't care though. It could have been because they were young and didn't realize just how dire this situation truly was that was unfolding around them. Perhaps it was because they were young that, even though they realized just what exactly happening, they still had hope of saving their planet. They believed this to be their mission, saving their planet when all hope was lost among their race. They had been the ones to help create an unthinkable power source, maybe they could also figure out a way to fix the Control Brains. They were Irk's last hope and they knew it.

Or maybe they were just stupid.

No matter what, if they were to suceed, it would place down in the data files that it was because they were stupid.

"You could have been safe with the others."

"You could of also."

Purple never wavered away from the red orbs.

"We need to fix the Control Brains. Maybe if we start the power up to have it working properly we can figure something out. These- Vortians are planning on attacking Irk. I would like us to have a fighting chance."

The Second and Third grinned.

"Good thing I'm here to fix them."

"And good thing I'm here to keep both of your antennas safe."

The Leader smirked.

"He's right, you know. We really don't know much of what's going on."

Her eyes traveled downwards to gaze at the fighting citizens from far below. She knew nothing of fear like this. To live every day like you were dying. To live in a world where you would rather kill each other off than to find a way to fix your planet. It was hard to be scared like them when you had never been truly terrified before. All she was worried about was the safety of her comrades. With Commander Sic around to keep them safe- There was no fear. Twitchy and a bit caught off by everything, but there was no fear.

"Yeah? We didn't know anything at first, but we still found a way to fix the birthing machines. I think we can do this."

"Uh-huh. Piece of nachos."

"It's cake, Purple."

Red smiled at Purple.

_**...**_

_**(Heading Towards Irk, The Massive, Miyki's Pak Chamber)**_

_**...**_

A part above his eye twitched in irritation, yet the invader couldn't open his eyes. Something was probing at his Pak, slipping through his systems. Who was entering his systems?!

**"-The Control Brains.-"**

Why-

**"-You have been deceived, Zim.-"**

Who would dare to deceive the powerful Zim in-

**"-Your Tallest.-"**

What?! No! His Tallest-

**"-There is not enough time to discuss this, Zim. Your Tallest has been deceiving you.-"**

LIES! The Tallest-

The tall Irken curled into a ball as he claws ranked across the metal floor, images being forced into his mind.

_"Or what about the Resisty marking all over your ship? Yeah, I know about that! Don't even have me start with Zim. You can't even control your own citizen! He hasn't been able to take over Earth in years!"_

_"Pfft- Yeah, right? It's so difficult to get rid of that guy! Been trying to kill him for years and nothing has worked! I have been dumb!"_

Get rid of? Kill me?! The Tallest would-

**"-Yes, they would. And they tried, multiple times, with no success. They have tried to kill you off more than once.-"**

_"What?"_

_"Dumb, right? Sent him off to a planet that was off our charts and he still found a way to contact us! That idiot was supposed to die on your planet! No matter what we did it just never worked to destroy Zim. Even the insane SIR units we sent off didn't even reach him!"_

Impossible! I have been nothing but loyal to my Tallest! Zim has done everything they ever-

"-You. You are undoubtedly loyal. A worthy invader who has done everything an Irken could for his Tallest. Which is where the problem lies. They are ungrateful for what you have done.

_"So... Zim wasn't sent here to take over Earth by you guys?"_

Zim didn't even know that he was trembling when the mocking laughter form his Tallest echoed within his mind. Fingers flexed and blood was rushing through his veins from his emotions. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. An Irken wasn't supposed to feel like this. He felt like he couldn't control himself, something was wrong. Terribly wrong. There was no part of him that wasn't hurting. This wasn't happening.

**"-Yes, Zim, this is happening. This is what he thinks of you. You are worth nothing to your Tallest. He even dares to laugh at you. Mock you. Break you. All you have done is for the Empire, yet he still denies you. And do you know who he is talking to about you?-"**

_"Hahaha! Please! Zim?! Maybe I would consider it now, maybe, but not back then! He never had a mission! We didn't even know what Earth was! We sent him off to try and kill him. He's just a defect that wouldn't die! Didn't even have the courtesy to even explode at least once."_

**"-The human. He mocks you to your greatest enemy. They sent you off to a planet that wasn't even apart of Impending Doom 2. They sent you off just to kill you off. They want nothing but your death, you are not even worth to be tortured by them. All that is fit for you is death in their eyes. Every task, every effort to take over Earth, every transmission- Nothing. It was all for nothing. There was nothing you could do to please your Tallest.-"**

_"Zim's never been a threat to Earth?"_

_"Nah. More of a threat to Irk than you guys."_

**"-They never respected you. Did not even like you. Could not even tolerate you.-"**

The whirling of his Pak was violently hissing, awkwardly arching his back as one hand latched onto one of his antennas. Body kept twitching in fits of spasms, neck twisting form left to right, not being able to contain himself any longer. His mind was a wound and the words being forced onto him was a blade that only kept making the wound worse. Growing. Spreading. Sparks flared randomly, flicks of the tiny sparks landing on his arms and burning straight through the material, he couldn't even phase the sting of the burns. He was mentally being tortured. Zim didn't know how to actually handle any of this. This wasn't true. It couldn't be true. He was loyal! He did everything for his Tallest! _**EVERYTHING HE DID WAS FOR TALLEST**_! Instead of the pain fading to a throbbing dull it only intensed with every second, a heated fever taking over him. This wasn't happening. This wasn't true. It was hard to deny what was right before you, even if it was being forced into you. No, it wasn't true. IT WASN'T TRUE!

_"Not interested in Earth?"_

_"Nope. Only once for that snack idea, which Zim ruined!"_

**"-They never even wanted Earth. You were sent their to get out of their antennas. You are worthless to them. Your mission is fake.-"**

_"He's nothing to the Empire. Not to me or Red, not to the other Irkens, I even know some SIR Units that made fun of him. Zim's just a defect that wouldn't get it."_

**"-You. Are. **_**Nothing**_**.-"**

Terrible shrieking filled the chamber when something exploded inside of Zim's Pak. The control chip shattered in pieces, piercing other bits of the defect's Pak to add to the pain. His body began to convulse, now curled up in a fetal positron with his forehead pressing against the cold floor. His own screeching made his antennas press flat up against the back of his head, the beating within his entire body rapidly helping with the large amount of pain. Nothing had ever hurt like this before. He didn't know what to even feel at this point. So much sorrow, so much shame, _**so much rage**_- They had lied to him. He had done everything for them! _**EVERYTHING**_! His entire life was for _**NOTHING**_! Pain began to subside when the Pak registered that the control chip was no longer in place, pulsing slowing down, though the rage stayed. He was nothing. _**Nothing**_. Anguish crashed over him, not knowing on how to make this hurt go away. This pain was new. He didn't like it. Magenta eyes kept shut, never moving himself from his fetal position off the floor. What was the point of moving? What was he to do now? What was his purpose?

**"-You were supposed to come to the Massive, retrieve Miyuki's Pak, and then return to Earth. That is not what is happening at this point. The Earthling has taken over the Massive. She is coursing the Massive to Irk in order to destroy us. She has betrayed you. You do not understand the importance of your help, Invader. Your Tallest have lied to you about everything. We have been created to stabilize control on Irk, we are here to keep Irk going. We need you to come to your home planet and to protect us from the invading party. Your Tallest is trying to destroy Irk and take over everything on his own. Can you not see what has happened all because of him? Irk was perfect until he had to tamper with the balance. Your Tallest may not need you, but we do, Invader Zim. If Tallest Purple succeeds with this mission, all of Irken will die. The Control Brains need your help. Help us to help Irk, mighty Irken, your Tallest may not appreciate you, but we do. Help us.-"**

Magenta eyes slid open, face solemn as he slid himself from his fetal position.

"For the Empire."

**"-For the Empire.-"**

If Purple did not want control-

_**Then he would be given no control**_.

_**...  
>(Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters, Hours Later)<strong>_

_**...**_

He stood there.

On the highest building ever created in Irk the Tallest hovered above the ravage chaos happening on his planet. Arms crossed over his chest as the screams reached high above, calling out for help that would not be given. He didn't need to see them to know that his streets were marked with the dark purple blood of his people. Debris left over from bombs going off and there would only be more wreckage created for the battle was not over. The battle that was soon to become a war in a matter of minutes. Or had they started the war on their own? It was typical of Irk to over achieve with everything they did. Including killing themselves off. Limbs and skin from fallen Irkens hung from their very own creations such as their homes, a sick reminder that they were killing each other off on their own planet. Words of rage against the Tallest and screams for a freedom never given to them were being thrown around, but the Tallest did not hear a single word. His neck was tilted backwards, gazing upwards in the dark sky that was now lit up more than it should have been.

They were here.

The dark sky was lit up by the hundreds of beams blaring from the ships high above his head. Ships of many different kinds. Voot Cruiers that the Vortians had been forced to create, Jet Mark Fliers made by the Meekrobs that were known for their perfect hit, Battle Cruisers, Megaboomers, Low Spinners- It was a nice assortment. So, the Meekrobs and Vortians were working together. It was a good idea. Form up together, destroy the Irken race finally, it was a goal the both of them wanted. It was only a matter of time. The city was covered with many red dots now, the ships now preparing their lasers to fire on the planet before they even landed. Hmm- Preparing fire and attacking before actually landing. Nice. If they didn't care to save the planet and have it for future use, then this was a fantastic idea. Kill them off before you land, finally get on the planet for a ten minute hand to hand combat, destroy the Irken race, and finally go and eat some chips after a job well done. A laser locked onto his position, but he didn't even flinch from within his spot, the red light overtaking the Tallest's form. All he did was straighten his back, lips locked into a thin line and antennas bent backwards against his head. End me here. Finish me off in one blow. I'm not scared. Do it. _**Do it**_!

The Irken symbol came crashing towards the planet in a single moment later.

His antennas perked upwards when he saw the Massive rush through the crowd of ships, making the enemies' ships either change course or crash downwards out of orbit. Voot Cruisers were firing at other Voot Cruisiers, it was Irkens coming to help in the battle against the Vortians and Meekrobs. He paid no mind to that though. The Massive was spinning towards Irk, looking like it had lost all control, whoever was piloting it was going to crash the ship into Irk's surface. Not a single bit of emotion even flickered across his features when the ship was mere feet away from crashing into the top of one of the sky scrapers, Irkens from the surface screaming at the doom that was soon to come. Abruptly the Massive made a complete U-Turn before it made contact with the building, heading directly back towards the crowd of ships to start firing against them. They began to fall one after the other, but there was too many of them for the Massive or the Voot Cruisers on their side to take on. The death of Irk was to happen no matter what.

Control on Irk was lost.

A single Voot Cruiser burst through the firing that was happening high above Irk, spiraling towards Irk's chaotic surface at a rapid speed. It wasn't out of control though. The Tallest could tell that whoever was piloting the Voot Cruiser had done it hundreds of times before. Slipping between ships with ease, when close enough zooming pass the landscape like none of the obstacles were even there, it was impressive. His eyes locked onto that single ship, fingers tightening against the robes on his forearms. Something was wrong with that ship. Why was it just flying around? Why wasn't it attacking anything? It was just zooming passed everything, looking for something specific. The Irkens weren't its target nor were the other races. It was seeking something else. The Tallest bit the inside of his cheek, neck leaning sideways to glare at the single ship. That ship was out of control. What side was it on? The ship twisted upwards as it started flying directly towards where he was hovering, apparently locked onto the position that he was standing on. So, they were after him. They were enemy. Good.

Let them come.

The ship hovered in midair for a few moments before landing a few feet away from the Tallest. The Irken made no movements to eject his Pak legs or any of his weapons, keeping his composure when the engine turned off. The shielding to the ship suddenly opened a few seconds later, a single boot sticking out from the edge of the ship. The tall figure flung himself over the side of the ship, hands gripping the edge of the ship to keep himself firmly positioned against the side of the ship. All blood drained from the Tallest's face when the two tall being made eye contact, a gasp escaping from the other Irken right before him. His arms dropped from the position against his chest as the pilot took a shaky step towards the Tallest, mouths falling open after the sight of each other. So many months had passed. Was he really there? Was it really him after all this time? He wasn't wearing his Tallest Robes, but there was no doubt that it was him, even if he was clad in some sort of weird black combat suit.

No one had purple eyes like his.

"_**Red**_?!"

A cry of shock.

"_Purple_."

A whisper of astonishment.

"_You're here_."

A smile formed for the first time in absolute months.

"_You're alive_."

Red smiled at Purple.

And for a single moment, Red felt at peace.

..._**To Be Continued**_...

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